Texas' highest criminal court made a major ruling on Monday, April 25, delaying the execution of Melissa Lucio, who is the only Latina on the state's death row. She was set to die on Wednesday, April 27.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals' decision came as the state's Board of Pardons and Paroles was also set to recommend to Governor Greg Abbott whether to stay the execution of Lucio. With the ruling, a lower court can now review the claims of Lucio that her execution should be halted based on new evidence that would clear her in the death of her 2-year-old daughter.
Lucio issued a statement via her lawyers, saying "I thank God for my life." Lucio is one of six women on death row in Texas and was set to die by lethal injection. According to NBC News, the last time the state executed a woman was back in 2014.
Lucio sentenced to death for murdering her daughter Mariah
The 53-year-old was sentenced to death in a capital murder case involving her daughter, Mariah, 14 years ago. Prosecutors said at Lucio's murder trial that she physically abused her toddler daughter and that Mariah had signs of a head injury, an untreated broken arm, and bruises on her body when she died back in February 2007.
According to the New York Post, Lucio's legal team denied those claims made by the prosecution. Lucio's defense attorneys argued that the prosecutors built their case around false medical evidence and a coerced confession following an hours-long interrogation on Lucio by Texas Rangers. They said that Lucio, who was pregnant with twins and sleep-deprived at the time, asserted her innocence more than 100 times to authorities but was ignored.
Lucio's lawyers have also stated that she was susceptible to falsely claiming responsibility for the Mariah's death because of her past experiences with sexual assault and physical abuse. According to Lucio's supporters and lawyers, the death of Mariah was accidental.
Lucio's lawyers and supporters say Mariah's death was accidental
They said that Mariah died after falling down a flight of outdoor stairs while the family was preparing to move to a new apartment. They also said that Mariah had a mild disability which caused her feet to be turned in, making the child more prone to falling. Lucio's lawyers have said that Mariah was crying but did not seem to be seriously injured on the day of the incident. She died two days later.
Lucio's supporters have called into question the initial investigation of the prosecutors. Then-Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos described the statements Lucio made to the Texas Rangers as a confession during her capital murder trial.
Villalobos' integrity was put into question, though, after he was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for his part in an unrelated extortion and bribery scheme. The current district attorney of Cameron County, Luis Saenz, had been under pressure from Lucio's family and activists to withdraw her death warrant.
