Texas Death Row Inmate Sues Prison To Allow Baptist Preacher To “Lay Hands” On Him While Being Executed

Religion News Service reports:

A Texas death-row inmate has sued state prison officials to allow his pastor to lay hands on him as he dies from a lethal injection.

John Henry Ramirez, 37, is scheduled to be put to death in the Texas death chamber on Sept. 8, but his attorneys said in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Corpus Christi that state prison officials had denied his request to have his pastor lay hands on him as he dies.

Ramirez was condemned for the 2004 stabbing death of Pablo Castro, a 45-year-old Corpus Christi convenience store worker. Authorities say Castro was stabbed after a robbery that netted just $1.25.

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John Henry Ramirez, 37, is scheduled to be put to death in the Texas death chamber on Sept. 8, but his attorneys filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday in Corpus Christi. https://t.co/SOCTuZa10E

— CBSDFW (@CBSDFW) August 13, 2021

John Henry Ramirez, a Texas death row inmate, wants his pastor to lay hands on him during his scheduled execution. https://t.co/y0bUi4iflQ

— RELEVANT (@RELEVANT) August 13, 2021

The lawsuit asked a federal judge to allow Dana Moore, pastor of the Second Baptist Church, a Corpus Christi congregation of about 200 worshippers, to be present in the death chamber at his execution and lay hands on him as Ramirez dies. https://t.co/hFi1WLKpMi

— Independent US (@IndyUSA) August 13, 2021