ECTOR COUNTY, Texas — A hearing was held Tuesday in Ector County for Michael Dean Gonzales, a convicted murderer and death row inmate.
Gonzales, who is also known as "Spider," was sentenced to death back in 1995, after being convicted of killing his elderly neighbors Manuel and Merced Aguirre.
Attorneys for both sides met behind closed doors for about 40 minutes, before officially making their cases to Judge John Shrode.
During the hearing, they discussed the intellectual capacity of Gonzales and the lead detective that handled the case.
The defense attorneys for Gonzales claim that his IQ is lower than 70, which is below the legal threshold for someone to be executed.
On Tuesday afternoon, an evidentiary hearing was set for Sept. 18 regarding his intellectual capacity.
In addition to expert witnesses, the defense argued for non-expert witnesses as well, which was granted. The state asked that the expert testimony be viewed as the most relevant. About 10 witnesses are expected, and a week has been set aside for the hearing.
Gonzales' defense also argued today against the lead detective, who they claimed cut corners and abused witnesses. In this case, the defense mentioned evidence of a blood stain and rare chili peppers between the neighbors, ultimately questioning testimonies made and believing that the detective’s practice had an impact.
The defense made a Brady claim, which demands the state provides evidence that might be favorable to the defense. The state countered by saying that there is no evidence that can merit what that claim requires, noting the fact that some records were not available back in 1995.
The hearing lasted around 30 minutes, as both sides recalled detailed information from the history of the case.
Judge Shrode told the attorneys he would review the evidence for the Brady claim and make a decision on a potential hearing for it in roughly a week.