Luis Ramirez
Encyclopedia
Luis L. Ramirez was executed by lethal injection
in the U.S. state
of Texas
. He was convicted of hiring Edward Bell to kill the boyfriend of his former wife. He was the 15th person executed in Texas in 2005.
, would later testify that Bell said he had been offered US$1,000 to kill Nandin. Tim Hoogstra was paid $500 to give this evidence.
On April 8, 1998 Bell called Nandin and said that he needed someone to fix his washing machine. Once at the Miles, Texas
home of Bell, Nandin was led to a chicken coop
, where he was handcuffed and shot once in the head with a shotgun. He was then buried in a shallow grave. Bell later fled to Tyler, Texas
. The body of Nandin was discovered about three weeks later after he was reported missing when he didn't turn up for work. Bell was arrested in Tyler and business cards, maps and hand-written notes linked him to Ramirez.
phase, sentenced to death on May 14. For his part in the crime, Bell was sentenced to life imprisonment
. For the next six years his appeals to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
, United States district court
s, 5th Circuit Court of Appeals
, and United States Supreme Court
were denied. Ramirez was adamant up to his death of his innocence and said that there was no way he was involved in the crime. He said he was in Brady, Texas
on the day of the murder. Hoogstra was also a self-admitted "daily drug abuser".
On 19 October 2005, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied a request to commute the sentence to life imprisonment. Further appeals to the United States Supreme Court were also denied. Although new evidence placed Luis Ramirez at a gas station in a different city at the time of the murder the Supreme Court denied him stating (in short) he was convicted for remuneration not for pulling the trigger.
at the Huntsville Unit. He made no last meal
request. During his final statement he said to the four siblings of Nandin:
Ramirez then turned toward a couple of friends that were present told them he loved them. "Even though I die, that love for you will never die", he said. As the lethal drugs began flowing into his arms, Ramirez told the witnesses, "It's OK. It's all right. I'm not afraid."
Ramirez left behind 3 children and many family members and friends who are still trying to prove his innocence.
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He was convicted of hiring Edward Bell to kill the boyfriend of his former wife. He was the 15th person executed in Texas in 2005.
Crime
Ramirez and his wife, Dawn, were divorced in 1995 and two years later she began dating Nemecio Nandin, a fireman and part-time repairman of washing machines and dryers. In early April 1998, Ramirez was seen meeting with Bell. Tim Hoogstra, a paid police informantInformant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
, would later testify that Bell said he had been offered US$1,000 to kill Nandin. Tim Hoogstra was paid $500 to give this evidence.
On April 8, 1998 Bell called Nandin and said that he needed someone to fix his washing machine. Once at the Miles, Texas
Miles, Texas
Miles is a city in Runnels County, Texas, United States. The population was 850 at the 2000 census.The city was named after Johnathan Miles, who donated $5,000 to a fund for an extension of a railroad track.-Geography:...
home of Bell, Nandin was led to a chicken coop
Chicken coop
A chicken coop is a building where female chickens are kept. Inside there are often nest boxes for egg laying and perches on which the birds can sleep, although coops for meat birds seldom have either of these features....
, where he was handcuffed and shot once in the head with a shotgun. He was then buried in a shallow grave. Bell later fled to Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
. The body of Nandin was discovered about three weeks later after he was reported missing when he didn't turn up for work. Bell was arrested in Tyler and business cards, maps and hand-written notes linked him to Ramirez.
Trial and appeals
Ramirez was indicted on June 4 for solicitation of capital murder. Almost a year later on May 7, 1999 he was convicted and in the separate penaltySentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
phase, sentenced to death on May 14. For his part in the crime, Bell was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
. For the next six years his appeals to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the court of last resort for all criminal matters in the State of Texas, United States. The Court, which is based in the Supreme Court Building in Downtown Austin, is composed of a Presiding Judge and eight judges....
, United States district court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
s, 5th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Louisiana* Middle District of Louisiana...
, and United States Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
were denied. Ramirez was adamant up to his death of his innocence and said that there was no way he was involved in the crime. He said he was in Brady, Texas
Brady, Texas
Brady is a city in McCulloch County, Texas, United States. Brady refers to itself as "The Heart of Texas", as it is the closest city to the geographical center of the state. The population was 5,523 at the 2000 census...
on the day of the murder. Hoogstra was also a self-admitted "daily drug abuser".
On 19 October 2005, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied a request to commute the sentence to life imprisonment. Further appeals to the United States Supreme Court were also denied. Although new evidence placed Luis Ramirez at a gas station in a different city at the time of the murder the Supreme Court denied him stating (in short) he was convicted for remuneration not for pulling the trigger.
Execution
He was pronounced dead at 6:18 p.m. CDT on October 20, 2005 in the execution chamberExecution chamber
An execution chamber, or death chamber, is a room or chamber in which a legal execution is carried out. Execution chambers are almost always inside the walls of a maximum-security prison, although not always at the same prison where the death row population is housed...
at the Huntsville Unit. He made no last meal
Last meal
The last meal is a customary part of a condemned prisoner's last day. Often, the day of, or before, the appointed time of execution, the prisoner receives a last meal, as well as religious rites, if they desire. In the United States, inmates generally may not ask for an alcoholic drink...
request. During his final statement he said to the four siblings of Nandin:
- "I did not kill your loved one, but I hope that one day you find out who did. I wish I could tell you the reason why or give some kind of solace. You lost someone you love very much, the same as my family and friends are going to lose in a few minutes. I am sure he died unjustly, just like I am. I did not murder him. I did not have anything to do with his death."
Ramirez then turned toward a couple of friends that were present told them he loved them. "Even though I die, that love for you will never die", he said. As the lethal drugs began flowing into his arms, Ramirez told the witnesses, "It's OK. It's all right. I'm not afraid."
Ramirez left behind 3 children and many family members and friends who are still trying to prove his innocence.