Late into the night, after hours of continuous interrogation, Texas Ranger Victor Escalon pressured Lucio to say more. This testimony has since been proven scientifically baseless and false, Lucios habeas application says. Maurice Chammah Lucios case has been of particular interest to psychiatric and forensic experts, because it may demonstrate a phenomenon theyre just starting to understand. Lucio, 52, had been set to be executed by lethal injection Wednesday for the death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah in Harlingen, a city of about 75,000 in Texas' southern tip.. GATESVILLE, Texas Time is running out for Melissa Lucio, her loved ones and total strangers who are fighting to save her from the Texas execution chamber. Image: Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death after her two-year-old daughter died in 2007. He has been active since the late 1990s, appearing in shows such as Pela and Un nuevo amor. Do not trust anyone calling from this area code, they are most likely scammers! We will fight not only to prevent Melissas execution but also to win her exoneration of these false charges.. From 2006 through 2012 including the time he prosecuted Lucio he had accepted more than $100,000 in bribes in exchange for influence over his decisions as district attorney. But theyre optimistic: Mondays ruling opens the door to the potential of a new trial, said Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation at the Innocence Project, and ultimately, complete vindication.. Melissa Lucio reportedly admitted to killing Mariah under duress. Common causes of the blood disorder are head trauma like that suffered in a fall down a steep flight of stairs and infection, which Mariah appears to have been battling when she died, the habeas application states. He threatened harm to Kristinas remaining children if she told the police what actually happened. (In a letter from prison, Castro denied committing the murder and hurting or threatening Earnest.). Melissa, an innocent woman, faces execution in less than 100 days because a corrupt prosecutor relied on a statement coerced by an overzealous Texas Ranger who badgered a traumatized woman into making a false confession.. Lucio, 40, of Harlingen was found guilty of capital murder for the death of her 21/2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. And bite mark evidence and analysis has since been determined to be invalid and unreliable, it says, noting forensic odontologists have found expert testimony identifying injuries as a human bite mark is without a scientific basis.. Her body was discovered in a trash bin at their home. Her lawyers are mounting a new fight in state court, arguing that her conviction rests upon a false confession and faulty science. I ain't perfect! Texas is executing an innocent woman, Juror who sentenced Melissa Lucio to death for daughters murder calls for retrial: I was wrong, EU adds to calls on Texas for clemency in Melissa Lucio case - latest, Bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers visit Lucio in prison, Melissa Lucios son hopes for clemency as execution date nears, Juror calls for retrial of woman he sentenced to death for murder of her daughter, Kim Kardashian posts heartbreaking letter from Lucios children, The Independent raises Melissa Lucio death penalty case before the White House. One of Lucios lawyers, Tivon Schardl, told The Marshall Project that the detectives tried to gaslight Lucio by telling her that she was the only person whod been alone with her daughter. Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald, via Associated Press. The state says Lucio beat her daughter to death. Authorities, her attorneys say, decided Mariahs injuries were abuse and set out to confirm that theory while ignoring evidence that might prove Lucios innocence. John Lucio, left, prays with his wife, Michelle Lucio, center, and Jennifer Allmon, executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, before a hearing about his mother by the Interim Study Committee on Criminal Justice Reform. A trial court-level judge will review her request and prosecutors response before making a recommendation to the state appeals court, which will decide whether she gets a new trial. Her lawyers say new evidence shows that the cause of her daughter's injuries and subsequent death were caused by a fall down a steep staircase outside their apartment in Harlingen, Texas. That's a common law enforcement tactic that leads to false confessions, said Jeffrey Deskovic, who went through a similar situation in New York State. BBC Mundo On 27 April, Melissa Lucio was supposed to die. I'm just a young man with ambitions and a heart of gold . "I am grateful the court has given me the chance to live and prove my innocence," she said in a statement released Monday by the Innocence Project. Lucio, 53, was scheduled to die by lethal injection Wednesday. According to the state, Lucio repeatedly abused the toddler until she finally succumbed to her. In February 2007, Mariah died from injuries which prosecutors claimed were caused by Lucio abusing her daughter. Lucio has often claimed that her daughter wandered away from the home, lost and was killed by a vehicle which drove past while she was trying to find her. PEOPLE's call to Saenz' office seeking comment after Monday's ruling was not immediately returned. But two days before the 53-year-old mother of 14 children was due to be executed, she was given a second chance. After Mariahs body was found in Lucios apartment, investigators questioned Lucio for seven hours. The detective handed Melissa Lucio a plastic doll and asked her to spank it. Lucios defense attorneys say there is evidence that she did not abuse her children. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. She responded with: I dont know what you want me to say. Typically, Republicans have been hesitant or reluctant to talk about the question of the integrity of the death penalty, and I think thats the wrong approach. Sandra Babcock, one of Ms. Lucio's lawyers and the director of the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide, told The Times, "Police targeted Melissa because she didn't fit their image of how a grieving mother should behave. One week from today, Texas plans to execute Melissa Lucio for the death of her daughter, despite widespread concern she is innocent. In fact, the system is set up for us to forget her and treat her as less than human. Lucio has been on Texas's death row since 2008 for killing her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah. Melissa Lucio is where she needs to be locked up behind bars for the death of her 2 year old daughter Mariah Alvarez. While the stay of execution is extremely good news and critical for Lucio, its not a guarantee of any particular outcome, Dunham told CNN. Lucios family and lawyers allege that she was abused by several men in her life. Trauma victims often experience psychological reactions that make them look guilty, even when they are not, they wrote. Melissa Lucio was facing execution on April 25th, 2022 but just two days prior, she has been granted a stay of execution. The Rangers are famous for their unorthodox interrogation methods, as The Marshall Project reported recently. The creators identity is still unknown to the public. Is Zozofit Scam or Legit (2022) Our Honest Review! "The State of Texas vs. Melissa," a Hulu documentary on the case. Her family members, the Innocence Project and the director of "The State of Texas vs. Melissa," a Hulu documentary on the case, are all campaigning for her life to be spared. . Knowing that youre behind us means so much. "She took a nap but wasn't making any noise, so Melissa checked on her and found she wasn't breathing," Potkin said. The board plans to vote on Lucios clemency petition two days before the scheduled execution, Rachel Alderete, the boards director of support operations, said in an email to the Associated Press. Anne Elizabeth Roseberry: Who Is Jamie Campbell Bowers Mother. - advertisement - Lucio has often claimed that her daughter wandered away from the home, lost and was killed by a vehicle which drove past while she was trying to find her. Please give us a chance for peace. But two days before that, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted her a stay of execution, delaying her death so Lucios trial court can explore whether she should receive a new trial. We join high-profile executives like Ariana Huffington, Facebooks Sheryl Sandberg, and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson as part of this initiative and are making a pledge to highlight the injustices of the death penalty in our coverage. Lucio is the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death row in Texas. The state of Texas has issued a death warrant seeking to execute Melissa Lucio (pictured), a battered woman who was sentenced to death for what may have been an accidental fall that killed her two-year-old daughter. A jury convicted appellant of this offense, and the trial court sentenced appellant to death pursuant to the . "Melissa had multiple vulnerabilities and susceptibilities for making a false incriminating . Donations from readers like you are essential to sustaining this work. A former Fulbright and H.F. Guggenheim fellow, he has reported on a range of criminal justice subjects, including jail conditions, sheriffs, wrongful convictions, and art by incarcerated people. State lawmakers in New York are considering a ban on deceiving suspects. At her trial, prosecutors framed her admissions as a full confession. She was convicted 14 years ago of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah, and a Texas jury sentenced her to death. Lisa Montgomery, the last woman executed in the United States. He can grant clemency if a majority of the paroles board recommends it. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding one of her sons, John. In regular life that means not going where strange men are, not going to watch movies with violence. Many object to the inconsistency with which the US death penalty is applied across the country. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Melissa Lucio holds her. Theyve come to blame the dominant style of American police interrogations, with its focus on lies (We already know its you.), minimizing language (Maybe this was an accident.) and ratcheting up the stakes (Theyll fucking give you the needle.). On 25 March, 83 Texas House members signed a letter asking the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to either cancel or commute Lucios impending execution. They just kept throwing so many words at me, and I just told them, Im responsible for Mariahs bruises.. She was interrogated for five hours by armed police officers who reportedly berated her. The district attorney who prosecuted Lucios case, Armando Villalobos, is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence imposed in 2014 for bribery and extortion. Lucio, 53, was set. Lucio was in the process of moving when Mariah got through a screen door and fell down the stairs, Potkin said. The photographs of Sophia Lucio's autopsy are a reminder of the tragedy that befell her and highlight the devastating consequences of domestic abuse. She called 911, and the paramedics tried to save her but couldn't. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Latest developments in Melissa Lucio case, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. A Warner Bros. One of the jurors who sentenced Melissa Lucio to death has written a newspaper editorial claiming he was misled and pressured during the mother's trial for murdering her two-year-old daughter . WAS HER CHILDS DEATH REALLY AMURDER?, Texas Observer, January 25, 2022; Nathaniel Puente, Harlingen woman faces April execution for daughters 2007 murder, Valley Central, January 14,2022. The prosecution characterized Lucios interrogation as evidence that she had abused her daughter, and therefore must have killed her. Prosecutors said Lucio beat the girl to death . The photographs are gruesome and heart breaking but they also provide important evidence of the abuse that Sophia Lucio suffered before her death, highlighting the tragedy of Melissas actions and the physical trauma inflicted on Sophia by her own mother. The mother of 14, who is the first and only Hispanic woman on death row in Texas, has spent the last 14 years awaiting execution for a crime she says she didnt commit. A psychologist wrote in a report that Lucio showed a consistent pattern of psychological numbing often identified with victims of violence and abuse. Both testified when the jury was deciding Lucios punishment. Hours after Mariah died, Lucio was interrogated by investigators, including a Texas Ranger who testified in Lucios trial for the state. On 18 October, the US Supreme Court denied a petition to hear Lucios case, paving the way for the state of Texas to set the date for her execution to be carried out by lethal injection on 27 April. Green initially took responsibility, but in 2012, during her trial, she testified that he had actually shot himself. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Melissa Lucio is scheduled to be executed next week for a crime she says she didn't commit one that may not have even occurred. Melissa Lucio holds her son, John, in an undated photograph. Lucios legal team has said she denied harming Mariah more than 100 times in her interrogation. V. Saenz, a Democrat, to withdraw the warrant for execution. Lucio claimed that her daughter had fallen down the stairs . Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death in Texas after she confessed to beating her 2-year-old daughter, who later died. Donations from readers like you are essential to sustaining this work. "I thank God for my life. That's what Potkin said happened to Lucio in 2007. The cops are telling her someone in the family is going to be held responsible, Schardl explained, and Lucio was a woman long accustomed to a life in which other people have value, but shes expendable.. More than a third said threats to their children influenced their confessions. Some appeared to confess to crimes as a way to protect their children from arrest, while others were afraid of future abuse by the true perpetrator their boyfriend or husband. Melissa Lucio had long maintained her innocence. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has issued a stay for the execution of Melissa Lucio, a woman who was scheduled to be put to death in two days for the murder of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah . 2. Melissa Lucio's daughter Mariah Alvarez's autopsy photos got released earlier, and the results are unconvincing to experts like Dr. Thomas Young. Watch on. She wrote an academic paper analyzing her own case, using the third person to describe how a detective manipulated her: The venom that dripped from his mouth and tone of his voice sent Shandas mind into a frenzy, flashbacking to all the times her husband would yell at her for no reason other than he could In her mind she mentally prepared for the physical abuse that usually came next., Although Crain faced no physical danger from the officer, she believes she confessed in part due to a learned fear of violence. Going where strange men are, not going to watch movies with violence United States ban... Attorneys say there is evidence that she was convicted 14 years ago of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah execution! I thank God for my life after Mariah died from injuries which prosecutors claimed were by! 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