South Texas DA who charged woman with murder for abortion allegedly paid for mistress to have the procedure

A South Texas District Attorney who wrongly charged a woman with murder after her self-induced miscarriage paid for his mistress to have an abortion in the ’90s, the Houston Chronicle reports, citing accusations in federal court records.

Three years ago, Starr County District Attorney Gocha Ramirez made national headlines by charging 26-year-old Lizelle Gonzalez with murder after she took the abortion medication Mifepristone to terminate her pregnancy.

Ramirez filed the case despite state law forbidding prosecutors from pursuing homicide charges against women for ending their own pregnancies. That statute remains on state books even after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Ramirez previously swore under oath that charging Gonzalez was an honest mistake. However, she’s since filed a federal lawsuit against Ramirez alleging that her wrongful arrest, prosecution and related trauma entitle her to $1 million in damages.

New filings made Tuesday in relation to the suit allege Ramirez, in the mid-’90s, before he was DA, paid for a woman’s abortion while he was having an extramarital affair with a pair of sisters, the Chronicle reports.

In the sworn deposition, one of the women maintains Ramirez covered the cost of her abortion, then brought her to a meal at Red Lobster after the procedure.

What’s more, Gonzalez’s suit against Ramirez has opened a Pandora’s box of ethical concerns about his initial investigation, according to the ACLU of Texas, which is representing her in the matter.

Following the dismissal, the State Bar of Texas investigated Ramirez for knowingly pursuing an unlawful indictment. The bar slapped him with a fine and found that he “failed to refrain from prosecuting a charge that was known not to be supported by probable cause.”

Ramirez last year mounted an unsuccessful effort to get Gonzalez’s suit dismissed, claiming legal immunity. However, the court denied his motion.

“Lizelle Gonzalez’s life has been forever changed by the cruel and unconstitutional actions of Starr County’s elected officials,” Lauren Johnson, director of the ACLU Abortion Criminal Defense Initiative, said in a statement. “Lizelle deserves justice for the trauma they have caused her and her family — and each of us deserves to be free of targeting by officials who ignore the law to unlawfully charge and arrest based on personal beliefs.”

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This article appears in Aug 7-20, 2025.