Stop the Execution of Michael Gonzales in Texas

Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles & Governor Greg Abbot

Michael Gonzales is scheduled for execution in Texas on March 8, 2022 for the 1994 murders of Manuel and Merced Aguirre. He may be innocent.

UPDATE (March 5, 2022): This execution has been STAYED!

UPDATE (Marcy 1, 2022): An Ector County judge will hold a hearing to consider a request by Gonzales to withdraw the execution date and allow consideration of potentially exculpatory evidence recently released by the Odessa Police. Read more here.

Michael was convicted of killing his neighbors, Manuel and Merced Aguirre, in April of 1994 in Odessa. During this time he lived with his mother, wife, and child in a house next door. Not much information is available about this case, however what we know about him from people who know him now is that he is kind and loving to them, "a gentle giant."  

Michael dropped out of school in 9th grade and worked as a laborer before his arrest. He was a member of a gang called, “Homies Don’t Play”, and has tattoos affiliated with it. After his original trial, Michael’s death sentence was thrown out due to improper trial testimony from a prison psychologist. At a ew sentencing hearing he received death again. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (TX CCA) affirmed the sentence and dismissed his state habeas application. Michael appealed this in 2015, but the TX CCA threw the appeal out without considering its merits, citing that it was improperly filed.

Texas' aggressive execution schedule marks it as an outlier in its use of the death penalty while the majority of other states are on a downward trend of executions. In recent years, Texas has accounted for a disproportionate share of the nation's state executions, and in 2021 Texas was just one of five states that carried out an execution during the COVID pandemic.

Please sign the petition asking Governor Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to do everything within their power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case.

Additionally, you may email the Board at bpp_clemency@tdcj.texas.gov and the Governor at https://gov.texas.gov/contact/ and call the governor at 512-463-1782. You can simply leave a voice message, or choose to speak to a representative if you prefer.

Please note: In Texas, the Governor does have limited power when it comes to the death penalty. But the story we are told that "it's out of the governor's hands," is only true if we allow it to be. Yes, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles must recommend clemency in that state in order for the Governor to grant clemency (mercy) by commuting a death sentence. But the fact is that the governor appoints the members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles. He can choose to appoint members who will take valid claims and concerns more seriously, instead of acting like rubber-stamping gate-keepers. He can still use his position of power and influence to enact justice in the State of Texas.  

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Death Penalty Action

To: Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles & Governor Greg Abbot
From: [Your Name]

We are writing to ask that you to stop the March 8, 2022 execution of Michael Gonzales for the 1994 murders of Manuel and Merced Aguirre​. New evidence recently released by the Odessa Police Department suggests he could be innocent.

We are concerned that while the vast majority of states with capital punishment continue on a downward trend of executions, Texas has continued to go against trend by carrying on an aggressive execution schedule, even during the global COVID pandemic.

We, the undersigned, ask that you do everything within your power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case.

Thank you for time and attention to this urgent and serious matter.