Fifty-three-year-old Melissa Lucio is set to be executed on Wednesday for the death of her 2-year-old daughter in 2007. She claims she falsely pled guilty to Mariah’s death after a five-hour interrogation immediately followed by learning her daughter died. Lucio denied the allegations more than 100 times while she was pregnant with twins.
A clemency application was filed on Lucio’s behalf by lawyers with the Innocence Project to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. They are set to review the case by 2:30 p.m. ET today. The Board will send its recommendation to Gov. Greg Abbott and he will have until 6 p.m. Wednesday to act. Lucia will be the first Latina to be executed in Texas and the first woman to be executed by the state since 2014.
Minutes before the Board was to make their recommendations to the governor, Cameron County Court ruled Lucio was innocent of her crimes. She gained support from two-thirds of the Texas Senate and the majority of the state House of Representatives. Additionally, five of her former jurors believed the evidence against her was not solid. There were “too many unaddressed problems with the police investigation,” according to The Texas Tribune. Supporters believed her case required more investigation before sentencing her to death.
At the trial, the prosecution relied heavily on Lucio’s confession. The judge barred expert testimony that would have explained why she would tell police she killed her daughter.
In 2007, police were called after Mariah was found unresponsive at the family’s Jarlingen apartment. The 2-year-old was not breathing. Police say her body was covered with bruises and what appeared to be teeth marks. An X-ray revealed the child recently had a broken arm.
The coroner’s report stated the child was abused, murdered, and died from blunt-force trauma to the head. Another medical examiner did not find the evidence so conclusive.
Lucio and her 12 children stated the toddler had fallen down the stairs a couple of days before her death. Mariah seemed fine at first. Then, she became lethargic and would not eat.
Written by Jeanette Vietti
Sources:
Yahoo! News: Melissa Lucio faces execution. What to know about her case; by Juan A. Lazano
Daily Mail: Texas parole board has until today to recommend clemency in case of mom-of-fourteen, Melissa Lucio, who was sentenced to die for 2007 death of her two-year-old daughter: Nearly half of jurors who sentenced her want a retrial; by Jack Newman
The Texas Tribune: Melissa Lucio’s execution halted by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals; by Jollie McCullough
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