A death row inmate wants to delay his lethal injection by six months - so he can "make things right" by donating a kidney.
Ramiro Gonzales is due to die on July 13 for fatally shooting an 18-year-old girl back in 2001.
He kidnapped and sexual assaulted Bridget Townsend in Texas, US, before murdering the teenager, whose remains were only found two years later.
But he has pleaded for a 180-day reprieve so he can "make his soul right with his God" and go under the knife for someone who needs it.
His lawyers believe he is an "excellent candidate" for donation after being evaluated by the transplant team at the University of Texas.
Gonzales has a rare blood type, meaning his organ could help someone struggling to find a match.
In a letter, Gonzales' legal reps Thea Posel and Raoul Schonemann asked Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to grant the reprieve.
His attorneys included a letter from Cantor Michael Zoosman, a Jewish clergyman, who has been corresponding with Gonzales with his time almost up.
"There has been no doubt in my mind that Ramiro's desire to be an altruistic kidney donor is not motivated by a last-minute attempt to stop or delay his execution," Zoosman wrote.
"I will go to my grave believing in my heart that this is something that Ramiro wants to do to help make his soul right with his God."
In the letter, the lawyers wrote: "Virtually all that remains is the surgery to remove Ramiro's kidney. UTMB has confirmed that the procedure could be completed within a month."
They also requested that his execution does not proceed if his 'spiritual adviser' isn't allowed to both hold his hand and place another hand on his heart when he is put to death.
Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said that in-mates have been granted life extensions for kidney donations before.
He said: "Skeptics will think this is simply an attempt to delay the execution, but if that were the case, I think you'd be seeing many requests.
"The history of executions in the United States shows that people don't make offers of organ donations for the purpose of delaying an execution that will still take place."
So far, there has been no response to Gonzales' request.
