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Teen killer to be executed, says mom of victim.
A young woman's life in Bandera, Texas, was cut short by Ramiro Gonzales, who violently raped and murdered Bridget Townsend as she took her first steps toward independence.
Published June 25, 2024 at 4:06pm by Amaris Encinas
Texas man to be executed for the 2001 kidnapping, rape and murder of Bridget Townsend, 18
“She was a beautiful person who loved life and loved people ... She didn’t deserve what she got.”
– Patricia Townsend, Bridget's mother
Who was Bridget Townsend?
Bridget Townsend, 18, was kidnapped, raped and murdered by Ramiro Gonzales on Jan. 14, 2001, in Texas. The night of her murder, Bridget was at her boyfriend Joe Leal's house. Leal was a drug dealer, and Gonzales went to his house to steal cocaine, finding Bridget alone. He stole cash, and when Bridget tried to call Leal, Gonzales overpowered and tied her up. He then drove her to his grandfather's ranch, raped and shot her, and dumped her body in a field.
The impact on her family
The last time Patricia Townsend, Bridget's mother, saw her daughter alive was the day she was killed. Townsend had asked Bridget to return a video to the store where she worked. Bridget told her mother she was going to bed early because she had to work in the morning. That was the last time they spoke. Bridget's body was found nearly two years after her murder, when Gonzales, who was serving a life sentence for the rape and kidnapping of another woman, confessed to the crime and led authorities to her remains in a field in Bandera, Texas.
The execution of Ramiro Gonzales
More than 23 years after Bridget's murder, Gonzales is set to be executed in Texas on what would have been her 41st birthday. Townsend said she doesn't feel sorry for Gonzales and believes he made his choice despite his traumatic childhood. She finds comfort in the fact that he will leave the world on the day her daughter came into it.
Read more: Mom of Texas teen murdered in 2001 says killer's execution will be 'joyful occasion'