Execution Report: Ramiro Hernandez

Ramiro Hernandez, 44, was executed by lethal injection on 9 April 2014 in Huntsville, Texas for murdering his employer and raping his wife.

In July 1997, Glen Lich hired a carpenter to renovate his house and some other buildings on his ranch in Kerrville, about 65 miles northwest of San Antonio. The carpenter and his assistant worked on the ranch for about three weeks. Around the beginning of October, the assistant, Ramiro Hernandez, phoned Lich looking for work. Lich hired Hernandez to do additional work at his ranch in exchange for letting him live in a cabin on the property.

On 14 October, after he had stayed at the Lich home for about ten days, Hernandez, then 28, knocked on the Liches' bedroom door at about 10 p.m., stating there was a problem with the generator. According to trial testimony given by Lich's wife, Lera, Mr. Lich, 48, went outside to talk with him. A little while later, Hernandez entered the bedroom, covered in blood and holding a knife in his hand. He approached Lera, held the knife to her neck, tore off her glasses and clothing, and forced her on the bed. He then raped her while keeping the knife at her neck. While he was raping her, she asked him about her husband. She did not understand when he spoke in Spanish, but she did hear him say in English, "fifteen thousand dollars, then your husband will be back." He also said the words "five hours," "my brother," and "Laredo."

After raping Lera twice, Hernandez escorted her to the bathroom at knifepoint. He then took her back to the bedroom. He wrote down the numbers 10,000 and 15,000 on a piece of paper. He then made several attempts at calling someone on the telephone. He finally reached someone, with whom he had an angry conversation in Spanish. Next, he tore a towel intro strips, tied Lera to the bed, and covered her face with a blanket. Peeking under the blanket, she could see Hernandez ransacking the bedroom, placing jewelry and other items into a plastic bag. He also threatened Lera's elderly mother, who was asleeep nearby in a separate bedroom, in Spanish. Next, he removed the blanket and asked Lera for the keys to her and her husband's Jeep. She nodded in the direction of the keys. He took them and went outside.

Hernandez started the Jeep, but after a few minutes, he turned off the engine and came back inside. Using wires, he tied Lera more securely to the bed. He made a second series of telephone calls, after which he yanked the cords out of all of the phones in the room. He went outside for a while, came back inside, and rummaged through the bedroom again. He then untied Lera and raped her at least two more times at knife point. She noticed that during this series of assaults, he was wearing several of her necklaces, her husband's watch, and her grandmother's wedding ring. When she asked him about her husband, he replied "two hours Laredo." He said that she would see her husband again if she gave him the money he demanded and if she wanted to live longer, she was not to call the police. He again threatened Lera's mother and also said the name of the Liches' daughter, threatening her. He also made a hand motion mimicking the injection of a syringe into his arm - an apparent reference to lethal injection - and said, "okay by me."

At some point, Hernandez fell asleep. Lera then slipped out and made her way to a neighbor's house. Sheriff's deputies found Hernandez asleep on the Liches' bed. He was arrested after a struggle.

Glen Lich's body was found near a generator building on his property, about 60 feet from the house. His skull had been battered beyond recognition.

In an audiotaped statement, Hernandez admitted striking Mr. Lich "once" with a piece of steel rebar. He also admitted raping Mrs. Lich "once."

Lera Lich gave the above account of the crime at Hernandez's trial, which was moved from Kerr County to Bandera County. In addition, Hernandez's cousin testified that, two weeks before the murder, Hernandez said he was angry with the Liches and wanted to hurt them. He told the cousin that the Liches owned a vehicle that could be sold in Mexico.

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