Ruben Gutierrez is scheduled for execution in Texas on October 27, 2021 for the 1999 beating and stabbing death of Escolastica Harrison. Until further notice this execution is on hold.

Reasons we oppose his execution:

• Ruben Gutierrez has consistently maintained that he did not kill Ms. Harrison and has asked for DNA testing for years, which the state has opposed.
• It is unconscionable for the State of Texas to risk executing an innocent man, particularly in this day and age when so many convictions have been reversed because of DNA evidence and when the state has the means to ensure certainty by conducting testing.
• It is cruel and unnecessary to carry out an execution at a time when the entire world is focused on preventing deaths, not scheduling more of them.
• All executions in Texas have been put on hold since March. There is no justification for changing course now and executing Ruben Gutierrez while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on Texas prisons. If it goes forward, this execution will be the first since the pandemic began.
• Nearly 6,000 Texas prisoners have tested positive for COVID-19; this includes 90 active cases at the Huntsville Unit, where executions occur and which has been under lockdown.   Moving forward with an execution under those circumstances would put numerous people at risk of transmission, including correctional officers, lawyers, and witnesses.
• 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 2019, Texas accounted for 9 of the nation's 22 executions, and in 2020 is expected to account for half of all executions, if not more.

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 reach out now to the Board at bpp_clemency@tdcj.texas.gov and the Governor at https://gov.texas.gov/contact/ and (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.