Texas executes inmate who fought prayer, touch rules

By JUAN A. LOZANO and MICHAEL GRACZYK
Associated Press

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A Texas death row inmate whose case clarified the role of spiritual advisers in death chambers nationwide has been executed, despite the efforts of a district attorney to stop his lethal injection. John Henry Ramirez was executed Wednesday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. He was convicted in the 2004 killing of 46-year-old Pablo Castro, a convenience store clerk, in Corpus Christi. Ramirez had challenged Texas prison rules that prevented his pastor from touching him or praying aloud during his execution. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Ramirez. In April, the top prosecutor in the case tried to stop the execution, calling the death penalty “unethical.” The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals declined to even consider the prosecutor’s request.