Bio 

Ramiro Hernandez, also known as Ramiro Hernandez Llanas, was born on October 5, 1969. Texas Department of Criminal Justice records list his native county as Tamaulipas, Mexico, and his occupation as laborer. He had completed four years of education and was 28 years old at the time of the Texas offense.

Before the murder of Glen H. Lich in Texas, Hernandez had already been convicted of murder in Mexico. Public execution reports state that he was serving a 25-year sentence for a 1989 bludgeoning murder in Nuevo Laredo when he escaped from prison and later entered the United States. 

After arriving in Texas, Hernandez worked as a laborer. In July 1997, he first came to the Lich property to assist a carpenter who was renovating the ranch house and other buildings. Months later, around early October 1997, he contacted Glen Lich again and arranged to stay in a cabin on the property in exchange for work and room and board.

Glen H. Lich was a former Baylor University history professor and ranch owner near Kerrville, Texas. He and his wife, Lera Lich, allowed Hernandez to live on the property as part of his work arrangement. Hernandez had been staying there for about 10 days when the murder and attack occurred.

The later trial record also included evidence of additional violence connected to Hernandez. Prosecutors presented evidence that he had previously stabbed a man in a Kerrville bar, sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl, and committed violent acts while in custody. These incidents were used during the punishment phase to argue future dangerousness.

Murder Story

The murder of Glen H. Lich began late on October 14, 1997, and continued into the early morning hours of October 15, 1997. At around 10:00 p.m., Hernandez knocked on the bedroom door of Glen and Lera Lich and claimed there was a problem with the generator. Glen Lich went outside with him. Lera Lich later testified that she saw the two men walk away from the house.

A short time later, Hernandez returned to the main house without Glen. He was covered in blood and holding a knife. He entered the bedroom, held the knife to Lera Lich’s neck, and sexually assaulted her. He also tied her to the bed with torn strips of towel, covered her face with a blanket, and searched the bedroom for valuables.

During the attack, Hernandez demanded money and took jewelry and other property from the home. He also threatened Lera Lich’s elderly mother, who was asleep in another room. At one point, he asked for the keys to the Lich vehicle, went outside, started it, then returned to the house and tied Lera more securely with wires.

Hernandez sexually assaulted Lera Lich multiple times at knifepoint. He also threatened her family members and told her not to call police if she wanted to live longer. After the assault, he eventually fell asleep on the bed. Lera Lich managed to slip away, escape from the house, and reach a neighbor’s home to call law enforcement.

When deputies arrived at the Lich residence, they found Hernandez asleep in the bed. He resisted arrest but was subdued and taken into custody. Law enforcement then searched the property and found Glen Lich’s body near a generator building. His head injuries were severe, and the medical examiner determined that he died from traumatic injury to the head and brain caused by being bludgeoned with a metal bar or crowbar. DNA evidence showed that blood on Hernandez’s hands and pants was consistent with Glen Lich’s blood.

After his arrest, Hernandez first identified himself as “Reuben Salinas.” Later the same day, after being questioned again in Spanish, he admitted that his real name was Ramiro Hernandez. He admitted striking Glen Lich with a metal bar and later admitted sexually assaulting Lera Lich, although his statements minimized what happened compared with the trial evidence.

A Kerr County grand jury indicted Hernandez on November 17, 1997, for capital murder. The indictment charged that he intentionally caused Glen Lich’s death by striking and beating him with a metal bar while committing or attempting to commit sexual assault, robbery, and burglary. The case was later tried after a change of venue to Bandera County.

Hernandez was convicted of capital murder on February 10, 2000, and sentenced to death the same day. TDCJ records show that he was received on Texas death row on February 11, 2000. His conviction and death sentence were later affirmed on appeal, and his state and federal habeas challenges were denied.

During the punishment phase, prosecutors presented evidence of Hernandez’s prior murder conviction in Mexico, his escape from prison, and other violent conduct. Public execution reports also stated that he had been linked to the rape of a 15-year-old girl, a stabbing in Kerrville, and violent conduct while in custody.

Hernandez’s later appeals included claims related to intellectual disability and Texas’s execution-drug secrecy. In April 2014, the Fifth Circuit vacated a stay of execution connected to his challenge over lethal-injection drug information.

Ramiro Hernandez was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas, on April 9, 2014. TDCJ lists him as execution number 514, TDCJ number 999342, age 44, from Kerr County. His final statement included an apology, religious remarks, and messages to his family. He was pronounced dead at 6:28 p.m.