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The highest criminal court in Texas on Monday halted the execution of Melissa Lucio—a mother whose murder conviction in the death of her 2-year-old daughter has come under increasing scrutiny amid doubts about her guilt.
Lucio, 53, was sentenced to be executed by lethal injection on April 27 for the 2007 death of her daughter, Mariah. But after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted her a stay of execution, her case now heads to a lower court for a hearing which will consider new evidence.
“I thank God for my life. I have always trusted in Him. I am grateful the Court has given me the chance to live and prove my innocence. Mariah is in my heart today and always,” Lucio said in a statement provided by her lawyer later on Monday. If Lucio’s execution would have taken place, she would be the first Latina in the U.S. to be killed in such a manner since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
For now, Lucio and her family are looking forward to a new trial. “(Her family) is ecstatic. They’re relieved. They were suffering from so much fear and anxiety and they’re hopeful going forward that we will prove Melissa’s innocence and that she’ll be released,” says Tivon Schardl, one of Lucio’s attorneys.
What happened in the case and immediate aftermath?
On Feb. 15, 2007, 2-year-old Mariah died from injuries associated with a fall down a staircase leading to their apartment, according to Lucio and her children. (Lucio’s lawyers argue that Mariah had physical disabilities that made her walking unstable and led to a history of falls.) Two days later, the toddler did not wake up from a nap on her parents’ bed, they said. Prosecutors maintain that the girl’s body was covered in bruises and her death was due to abuse.
Police arrested Lucio; just…
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Source : time
