Capital Punishment Clinic client Ramiro Gonzales was sentenced to death in 2006 for the 2001 murder of Bridget Townsend. Clinical Professors Raoul Schonemann and Thea Posel have worked on Ramiro’s case since he was first scheduled for execution in 2016. Since then, Clinic students have worked on various aspects of Ramiro’s appeals including the application for clemency filed on June 4, 2024:
- Clemency Petition Filed on June 4, 2024
- Clemency Exhibit 1 — The New York Times, “On Death row, He is Grasping at Grace”
- Clemency Exhibit 2 — Christianity Today, “Christians Shouldn’t Kill Christians”
- Clemency Exhibit 3 — Baptist Standard, “Evangelicals urge clemency for inmate facing execution”
- Clemency Exhibit 4 — Letter from Rev. Brianne Swann
Professors Schonemann and Posel have also filed the following documents in the Court of Criminal Appeals and requested a stay of execution in conjunction with each:
- Suggestion to Reconsider Prior Disposition of 2011 Habeas Application
- Suggestion to Reconsider Prior Disposition of 2022 Habeas Claim (WR-70,969-03)
- Subsequent Application for Writ of Habeas Corpus
Media Coverage of the 2024 Clemency Efforts:
- Article about Ramiro Gonzales — Texas Observer, “Finding God, Asking State to Find Mercy on Death Row”
- Article about Ramiro Gonzales —Texas Monthly, “Religious Leaders Are Pleading for the Life of a Death Row Inmate. In Texas, Mercy Is in Short Supply.”
The team representing Ramiro has also produced the following video, submitted to the Board of Pardons and Paroles on June 4, 2024 in support of his clemency application.
For more information:
Clinic contact
Jim Marcus
Phone: (512) 232-1475
Email: jmarcus@law.utexas.edu
Faculty
Jim Marcus
Raoul Schonemann
Thea Jane Posel
Program Coordinator
Tabitha Smith
Phone: (512) 232-2173
Fax: (512) 572-8147
Email: tabitha.smith@law.utexas.edu