Melissa Lucio Wins Execution From Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday halted the execution of Melissa Lucio, 52, who was found guilty of murder in connection with the death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah in 2007.

Lucio’s cause has been a widely advocated topic in the criminal justice world, including among celebrities like Kim Kardashian, and is expected to pass away on Wednesday.

Monday’s decision will refer Lucio’s case back to Cameron County court, where she was originally heard. The ruling comes just minutes before the Texas Board of Amnesty and Amnesty is scheduled to vote on whether to recommend Governor Greg Abbott delay Lucio’s previously scheduled execution by at least 120 days. or not. The Amnesty Board on Monday said it would no longer make a decision.

“I am very grateful to have more days of being a mother to my child and a grandmother to my grandchild. I will use my time to help bring them to Christ. I am deeply grateful to everyone who prayed for me and spoke out on my behalf,” Lucio said in a statement.

The stay marks a groundbreaking victory for a woman who has steadfastly maintained her chastity and believes her daughter’s death was the result of a fall down the stairs in their Harlingen, Texas apartment . Her attorneys also asserted that new evidence showing Mariah’s injuries was consistent with Lucio’s claims and that her conviction was at least partly based on a forced confession.

Prosecutors have long argued that Lucio confessed to the offence, and that the toddler’s death was caused by child abuse.

More than 100 legislators, family members, celebrities, social justice advocates and even half the jury who originally decided her fate have recently fought for her justice. her clemency — or at least a new trial. Among those with the best vocals is Amanda Knox, who tweeted on Monday that she was in Texas to support Lucio, as well as the Innocence Project, which has built a cause.

“The system has failed Melissa Lucio, and her daughter, Mariah, at every turn, and…. going ahead with Wednesday’s execution of Ms. Lucio would be a staggering public mistake. legal and an irreparable stain to the State of Texas,” Texas Representative Jeff Leach (R-Plano) said in a statement to The Daily Beast ahead of the decision.

The Republican added that he believes “strongly that clemency, relief or pardon should be granted without further delay.”

Court documents say that on February 17, 2007, paramedics went to the home where Lucio and her nine children lived to find 2-year-old Mariah “unsupervised and lying on her back in the middle of the floor home, do not breathe and do not. pulse.”

“Her body was covered with bruises during various stages of healing, her arm had been broken for several weeks, she had a bite mark on her back and some of her hair had been pulled out,” said one. the 2021 appellate court opinion said.

In the end, Mariah was pronounced dead at a local hospital and the medical examiner’s office concluded she died from a blow to the head. Prosecutors allege that Lucio told authorities that Mariah had fallen down the stairs, and in a videotape interview admitted to having previously “beaten” her daughter.

During the lengthy interview, Lucio denied hurting her daughter more than 100 times, according to her attorney. However, at one point in the interview, Lucio also admitted he was “responsible for it”.

“I guess I did,” she added.

The alleged confession was at the heart of the prosecution’s case as they charged Lucio with murder. However, her lawyers argued that her statement was misinterpreted and contaminated the rest of the investigation into Mariah’s death.

A 12-person jury sided with the prosecution in 2008, and Lucio was ultimately sentenced to death. Since her conviction, her legal team has filed various appeals to stop her execution, including a 2019 appeal that claimed she was not authorized to present evidence to question its validity. of his alleged confession.

“I know that what I am accused of doing is not true. My children have always been my world and although my choices in life are not good, I would never hurt any of my children in such a way,” Lucio wrote in a letter. letter to Texas lawmakers, according to AP.