JUSTICE FOR GABRIEL RAMOS- 22 YEARS OF SILENCE IS ENOUGH. REVIEW THE 2003 CONFESSION

Request for Conviction Review
We, the undersigned, respectfully petition District Attorney James Granberry to initiate a full review of the conviction of Gabriel Ramos (Cause No. 01-CR-0010-H) in light of long‑suppressed exculpatory evidence and the standards of review recently applied in the case of Joe David Padron.
• Background and Context
  In 2003, the Thirteenth Court of Appeals affirmed Mr. Ramos’s convictions for capital murder and engaging in organized criminal activity arising from a double homicide allegedly connected to a gang affiliation.
 In 2023, the 214th District Court in Nueces County held extensive evidentiary hearings in State v. Joe David Padron, where witnesses recanted, perjury by key State witnesses was demonstrated, and serious prosecutorial misconduct was documented, leading to a recommendation that Mr. Padron’s conviction be vacated.
 •The Suppressed 2003 Affidavit
 On or about October 15, 2003, an affidavit was stamped and filed in the district clerk’s office in which State’s witness Ramiro Saldaña admitted to providing false testimony and exonerated Gabriel Ramos of involvement in the homicides.
 This affidavit constitutes classic Brady material: it is exculpatory, impeaches a critical State witness, and, if presented to a jury, would reasonably undermine confidence in the original verdict.
 •Pattern of Witness Misconduct and State Reliance
 In both the Ramos and Padron cases, the State relied heavily on testimony from gang‑affiliated witnesses and jailhouse informants whose credibility was later called into serious question, including evidence that some received undisclosed benefits or engaged in perjury.
 In Padron, the Innocence Project of Texas demonstrated that key State witnesses committed perjury and that the prosecution promoted false testimony, leading to the State’s eventual agreement that the conviction should not stand.
 • The Request to the District Attorney
 Consistent with the practices already applied in Padron, we ask the Nueces County District Attorney and the Conviction Integrity Unit:
  Open a formal Conviction Integrity review of Gabriel Ramos’s case.
  Fully investigate the October 2003 affidavit and any related records involving Ramiro Saldaña and Felix Cantu, including their roles in the underlying homicides.
  Determine whether the 2003 affidavit and related evidence were improperly suppressed and, if so, move to vacate Mr. Ramos’s conviction and support appropriate relief in the trial court and the Court of Criminal Appeals.
 For over 22 years, Gabriel Ramos has remained incarcerated while a sworn, filed confession that clears him has gone unaddressed. Justice, public confidence, and the integrity of the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office now require that this affidavit be formally reviewed and that Mr. Ramos receive the same level of scrutiny and fairness already afforded to Joe David Padron.

“22 Years of Silence Is Enough: We call on District Attorney James Granberry to review the stamped 2003 confession in the case of Gabriel Ramos and to act in the interest of justice.”

***************************************************

### OFFICIAL OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT

 Subject: FORMAL REQUEST FOR OVERSIGHT: Restoring Integrity to the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office
​Dear Governor Abbott,
​In October 2023, you appointed James Granberry as District Attorney of Nueces County with a clear mandate: to restore the public trust, deliver swift justice, and clean up the "shambles" left by the previous administration. We applauded that move toward accountability.
​However, true integrity is not just about prosecuting new crimes; it is about having the courage to correct old injustices that remain on the books.
​We are writing to bring to your immediate attention a catastrophic failure of the justice system in your appointee’s jurisdiction: the case of Gabriel Ramos (Cause No. 01-CR-0010-H).
​For 22 years, Gabriel Ramos has remained incarcerated despite a sworn, court-stamped 2003 affidavit from the State’s key witness, Ramiro Saldaña, admitting to perjury and fully exonerating Mr. Ramos. This evidence has sat unaddressed through multiple administrations.
​The "Padron Standard" and Your Appointment:
Recently, the Nueces County DA’s office participated in the exoneration of Joe David Padron—a case that mirrored Gabriel’s in its reliance on unreliable testimony and witness misconduct. By allowing Gabriel to remain in prison while Padron walks free, the office you restructured is inheriting and maintaining a systemic injustice.

 ​As the official who appointed DA Granberry to "restore integrity," we respectfully urge you to:
 • ​Inquire into the status of the 2003 Saldaña affidavit in the Ramos case.
• ​Ensure that the Nueces County Conviction Integrity Unit applies the same rigorous standards of review to Gabriel Ramos that were applied to Joe David Padron.
• ​Hold your appointee accountable to the "Law and Order" standards you championed when you placed him in office.
​Nueces County deserves a District Attorney who is tough on crime, but also a District Attorney who is tough on injustice. We ask that you ensure your appointee fulfills the mission you gave him.
​Respectfully,
​Eva L. Calderon/ Family, Friends and Supporters of Justice for Gabriel Ramos