The Texas State Judiciary in the United States has decided to stay the execution of prisoner Melissa Lucio amid mounting significant uncertainty that she committed the crime she is accused of, killing her twoyearold child . old daughter by beatings.
The case drew the attention of lawmakers, celebrities, and even jury members who condemned and regretted it.
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The Texas court has granted Melissa Lucio’s attorneys’ request for an extension of the execution so the court can consider new evidence that could potentially exonerate her.
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It is not yet clear when the court will begin examining the new evidence.
The original date for Lucio’s execution was April 27, the next Wednesday.
Melissa’s daughter Mariah died in 2007 in Harlingen, a town of 75,000 in south Texas.
The Texas Parolees Committee wanted to review Lucio’s plea for clemency (this committee has the power to swap the death penalty for life imprisonment). Minutes earlier, however, the stay of the execution was announced.
According to Lucio’s lawyers, her conviction was based on an unreliable confession that was coerced into a relentless questionnaire. Lucio is still a victim of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse. According to lawyers, she did not have an opportunity to question the validity of the confession.
Lawyers say false and unscientific evidence led the jury to believe the 2yearold girl’s injuries could only have been caused by physical abuse, not medical complications following a fall.
The head of the local state ministry, Luisa Saenz, contradicts the reasoning of Lucio’s lawyers. Prosecutors say she has a history of drug use and even lost custody of some of her 14 children.