Texas Death Row Inmate Suing State Officials After They Denied His Pastor From Laying Hands on Him Before He Dies

According to NBC News, a Texas death row inmate has filed a lawsuit against state prison officials, requesting that his pastor be allowed to lay hands on him before he dies from a lethal injection.

A federal lawsuit was filed in Corpus Christi on behalf of John Henry Ramirez, 37, which alleges that state prison officials refused to allow his pastor to lay hands on him as he dies. Ramirez is set for execution on Sept. 8 in the Texas death chamber.

An attorney for Ramirez asked a federal judge to allow the pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Corpus Christi to be present in the execution. Moore has been ministering to Ramirez for five years, according to the lawsuit.

The case references a United States Supreme Court order from 2019 that halted Patrick Murphy’s execution unless the inmate’s Buddhist spiritual advisor could accompany him to the Texas execution room.

According to authorities, Ramirez was convicted of stabbing and killing Pablo Castro, a 45-year-old Corpus Christi convenience store employee, in 2004. Castro was wounded following a robbery that netted about $1.25.

Ramirez was previously granted two stays of execution, the first in 2017 to allow him to choose a new lawyer and the second in September because of the Covid-19 pandemic.