Prosecutors say Lucio fatally beat Mariah but Lucio has long denied that, saying her daughter died from injuries sustained during a fall down a flight of stairs. Are you serious!? As per the data, Melissa Lucio is only 5 feet 2 inches tall. According to the reports, she has undergone a continuous and repetitive highly abnormal level of vulnerability. A pathologist interviewed by The Intercept says the medical examiner who conducted Mariah's autopsy jumped to conclusions and ignored evidence that Mariah died due to an accident. Melissa Elizabeth Lucio is an American woman sentenced to death in Texas on August 12, 2008 for the death of her 2-year-old daughter on February 17, 2007. . Learn how your comment data is processed. Later, after receiving many letters, punishments, executions and defense statements from Lucios lawyer, Lucio was still being interrogated for the murder of her then youngest child of a total of 12 children born to her due to two marriages. Joining is simple and doesnt need to cost a lot: You can become a sustaining member for as little as $3 or $5 a month. And today shesno longer anonymous. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. April 28, 2022 5:23 PM EDT. Melissa Lucio's son has vowed to "keep fighting until she gets to come home" as the case of the Texas mother-of-14 heads to state court following her last-minute stay of execution.. Bobby . The appeals court order sends Lucios case back to her trial court in the 138th Judicial District in Cameron County, along the border with Mexico at Texass southernmost tip. At least one juror from the trial says the jury wasn't given the full picture and that if he had known more, he would have never voted for the death penalty. But although Lucio had a history of being investigated by Child Protective Services, she had no history of physically abusing her kids. But many doubt Lucio's guilt and call into question the fairness of her trial. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Please give us a chance for peace. This makes my day, he said. The 53-year-old was convicted in 2008 for the murder of her 2-year- old daughter, and would be the first Latina killed by the state if her execution goes as planned. (AP) In a phone call on Monday, Johnny Galvan, one of several jurors who supported Lucios clemency petition, expressed relief upon hearing that the court had stayed Lucios execution. Attorneys for Lucio have long argued that Saenz has a conflict of interest due to the fact that Lucios defense attorney at trial, Peter Gilman, now works for him. Michelle described the moment they saw Lucio inside the visitation area. ", Speaking to CBS Mornings he said: 'If they go through with it, they'll be killing an innocent woman.. hide caption. Melissa Lucio is seen here in an undated photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. She was sexually abused by one of her family members (her mother's boyfriend) at the age of 6. Mariahs lifeless body arrived at a hospital in Harlingen, Texas, covered in bruises, which authorities immediately assumed were evidence of abuse. Melissa Lucio is the mother of 14 children, five from her first marriage and nine from her second, according to theInnocence Project. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. Melissa Lucio is the first woman of an American Hispanic descent who was sentenced to death in Texas. Melissa Lucio was born on July 18, 1968 in Lubbock, Texas. Lucio's current lawyers say new evidence shows that Mariah's injuries, including the blow to the head, were caused by a fall down a steep staircase, as Melissa and some of her children have . Greg Abbott to either grant an execution reprieve or commute her sentence. Lucio was previously sentenced to death in 2008 and was pregnant with twins at the time of her incarceration, which she had to put up for adoption as she was unable to support the babies feeding in prison. Even after none of her children of Lucio accepted the physical abuse by their mother, the police and the pathologists continued to claim that Mariahs death was not because of the fall from stairs. Mariah is in my heart today and always.. Although the official documents state that Lucio was born in 1968, her relatives and closest members say that she was born in 1969. Valley Morning Star via AP. Among them is one of her sons, John Lucio. If the execution is not postponed or stopped, she will receive a lethal injection on April 27, despite the mounting doubts over her guilt. John and his wife, Michelle, were filming an interview with Univision in their hotel lobby when John stepped away to take a phone call from Assistant Federal Public Defender Tivon Schardl. She admitted that she had spanked Mariah on the butt, but denied abusing her. Lucio's father died when Lucio was an infant, and her family moved to the Rio Grande Valley when Lucio was almost 3 to 4 years old. Lucio was convicted for the death of her daughter Mariah Alvarez. Lucios life wasnt as easy and smooth as other childrens. She was sexually abused at the age of 6 by one of her family members (her mothers boyfriend). Her family maintains her innocence and has pushed hard to get her off death row. Gilman questioned why the CPS was trying to permanently revoke Lucio's . Her first husband, the group says, was a violent alcoholic who left her after she gave birth to their five children. Potkin says Lucio had inadequate defense during her trial. Two days later, she could not be woken from a nap and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Thats what brought Luna and Toon to the Capitol on April 25. SAN ANTONIO - The governor of Texas is under pressure to stop the planned execution of a mother convicted of killing her child. April 25, 2022 by John Atsu. Please allow us to reconcile with Mariah's death and remember her without fresh pain, anguish, and grief. Who would hold party elites accountable to the values they proclaim to have? Potkin says it's now recognized that "having a trauma history such as Melissa had, being a survivor of sexual abuse and domestic abuse, is a risk factor and vulnerability during custodial interrogation for false confession.". Melissa Lucio was repeatedly raped as a child, became a child bride at 16 and had 14 children to two abusive partners (The State of Texas vs. Melissa/ Hulu/ Sabrina Van Tassel) At the time, the family lived in a small two-bedroom, second-floor flat. In 2008, she was found guilty of murdering her 2-year-old daughter. She said she was constantly sexually abused by her first husband, who later left and separated with her five children. Still trying to come to terms with the reality of her child According to a lawyer on Lucio's appellate defense team, Melissa is innocent. The detective handed Melissa Lucio a plastic doll and asked her to spank it. They probably never will," her kids said in the letter. "Their electric service was cut, they moved some 26 times in a five-year period. The end result could be that she could obtain a new trial, Potkin said, and were confident if Melissa was retried today that she would be acquitted.. Just two days before Melissa Lucio was scheduled to be to be put to death, a Texas court on Monday halted her execution and sent her case back for review. ", Now, the power to save Lucio lies in the hands of Texas' Republican Governor Greg Abbott, the Board of Pardons and Parole, and the current Cameron County District Attorney, Luis V. Saenz, whose office said in a statement to CBS News: "A jury of (Lucio's) peers rendered to her a verdict. 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 was the epitome of every system in the state of Texas failing at every level: education, health, faith community, she said. Well, it means youre going to wake up on Thursday morning, Leach replied. But as new details have emerged about her case, a growing chorus of lawmakers, faith leaders, anti-domestic violence organizations and celebrities has called for clemency. "You start peeling back the layers and you see that it is a case about corrupt prosecutors, it's a case about unfairness," Ms Babcock said. by Jolie McCullough March 24, 2022 3 PM Central. Protestors outside the Cameron County Courthouse advocate to overturn Melissa Lucio's death sentence. Attorneys for Melissa Lucio filed for clemency on Tuesday, just a month before her execution date on April 27. The woman, Melissa Lucio, a mother of 14, was found guilty back in 2008 in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah. Dozens of politicians from both parties have backed her. The latest bid to spare Melissa Lucio's life comes 14 years after she was sentenced to death in a capital murder case involving the youngest of her dozen children at the time. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Her husband continued to abuse her physically, emotionally, and sexually, producing 5 children even at the age of being minor, and abandoned the whole family leaving behind Lucio and her kids. New FDA-approved drug can slow vision loss, Lawsuits claim dental device wrecked teeth, Pandemic-era SNAP benefits end for millions of Americans as costs rise. Melissa Lucio, who maintained her innocence for nearly 14 years, was immediately interrogated and alleged nearly 100 times until she was manipulated by police officers into taking responsibility for Mariahs injury. At times, they were homeless and relied on food banks for meals, according to a clemency petition issued by her lawyers. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Lucio was married at the age of 16 and she produced five children with her husband, who used to abuse Lucio all the time while being in the relationship. It was during one of those moves - on 15 February 2007 - that Melissa's two-year-old daughter was injured. Son Bobby Alvarez, who was seven when his little sister died, described how he cried every night wanting my momma back after she was taken away. If youre gonna bring it, bring it right. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In front of a large white Free Melissa Lucio banner, Van Tassel looked up toward the courthouse where she had spent so much time working on the film that would bringLucios story to the rest of the world. On Monday, the CCA ordered Garcia to either recuse herself or have another judge rule on her disqualification within three days, Schardl explained. Discovery Company. "The death of our sister Mariah and the prosecution of our parents tore our family apart. Melissa Lucio, a Mexican-American who is facing execution in Texas on April 27, 2022, was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death after her daughter, Mariah, sustained injuries from an accidental fall. We dont have ads, so we depend on our members 35,000 and counting to help us hold the powerful to account. Two days later, Mariah went to take a nap and did not wake up. Some of that evidence, says Potkin, was not disclosed to the defense as they were preparing for trial. But for us, whats clear is that theres a recognition by the court that something is wrong and needs to be fixed.. By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. More on The Lone Star Plate www.lonestarplate.showSabrina . "At the same time, here we are, seven days away from her execution date. State Rep. Jeff Leach said, "As a conservative Republican myself who has long been a supporter of the death penalty in the most heinous cases, I have never seen I have never seen a more troubling case than the case of Melissa Lucio.". "Over 100 times, she asserted her innocence," said Potkin. Mariahs father, Roberto Antonio Alvarez was also arrested in relation to her death but he was only convicted of endangering a child and sentenced to four years in prison. There is significant evidence of her innocence that no court, no fact finder has ever considered. There were two possible avenues of relief for Lucio. According to the state, Lucio, then a mother of 12 who struggled with drug addiction, had beaten her toddler to death in February 2007. The wounds never fully healed. The two women friends and formerly incarcerated activists had joined a broad coalition of supporters pressing every lever they could think of to try to stop the execution, scheduled for April 27. Her lawyers said thatthestatement was wrongly interpretedby prosecutors as a murder confession, tainting the rest of the investigation into Mariahs death. Were confident that with the new evidence of innocence, if Melissa was retried today that she would be acquitted, Innocence Project attorney Vanessa Potkin told reporters on Monday afternoon. Its unclear how long the process could take. The ruling, however, does delay Lucios execution indefinitely, Potkin said, while Lucio gets her first opportunity to present new evidence of her innocence claim in court. It simply has not been the same in the past 15 years," he said. The lawyers asked the court to block the execution and send the case back to the lower court for further scrutiny and ultimately, a new trial. Who is Melissa Lucio? Melissa Lucio is seen here in an undated photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. On April 25, 2022, the Texas court granted a stay of execution and directed the Cameron County 138th Circuit Court to review Lucios case with new evidence of her innocence regarding the death of her daughter Mariah. Lucio has always maintained her innocence. On April 27, 53-year-old Melissa Elizabeth Lucio is scheduled to be strapped to a gurney in the Texas execution chamber and given a lethal dose of drugs. 2. For 14 years, Lucio had been on . In fact, the court had twice ruled against Lucios appeals. According to the Innocence Project, it was an abusive marriage. Last October, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case. During an emotional press conference he stated, "I don't want my mom to be executed. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Children plead to save mother from execution, Children say toddler's death was accident, plead to save mom from execution: "She's innocent". Selina, the fifth of Lucio's 14 children, initially came forward on TikTok back in 2021 after the release of "The State Of Texas vs. Melissa," a documentary on Hulu that covers the case and . Texas mother Melissa Lucio, who was convicted in the death of her two-year-old daughter Mariah, is scheduled to be executed April 27. 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