Michael Dean Gonzales was born on September 1, 1973, in Odessa, Texas. 

On the evening of April 21, 1994, Michael Dean Gonzales broke into the home of his neighbors, Manuel and Merced Aguirre, while they were sleeping in Odessa, Texas. The couple awoke to find Gonzales in their home. He stabbed both Manuel, who was 73 years old, and Merced, who was 65 years old. After attacking them, Gonzales stole several items from the house, including a VCR, a microwave oven, a camera, a .22-caliber revolver, and a purse.

Gonzales was later arrested and charged with capital murder. His trial began on November 27, 1995. During the trial, a medical examiner testified that Merced's stab wounds were "too numerous to count." The jury found Gonzales guilty of the murders of both Manuel and Merced. On December 12, 1995, he was sentenced to death.

Gonzales's death sentence was overturned due to improper testimony from a prison psychologist. In 2009, he was retried, and the jury again sentenced him to death on May 7. The appeals process continued, and by June 2015, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected Gonzales's appeal without considering its merits.

On September 1, 2021, the court set an execution date for March 8, 2022. The Aguirre family planned to attend the execution. However, on March 3, 2022, Gonzales received a reprieve.