Photo by Ye Jinghan on Unsplash
Audio By Carbonatix
About 14 years ago, Melissa Lucio was convicted of murdering her 2-year old daughter Mariah. Lucio was later sentenced to death, but throughout all this time she and her family has maintained her innocence and fought her execution.
Her execution was scheduled for later this week, but the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stepped in on Monday and halted it.
In a statement after the court handed down its decision, Lucio said: “I thank God for my life. I have always trusted Him. I am grateful the court has given me the chance to live and prove my innocence.”
Lucio added: “Mariah is in my heart today and always. I am grateful to have more days to be a mother to my children and grandmother to my grandchildren. I will use my time to help bring them to Christ. I am deeply grateful to everyone who prayed for me and spoke out on my behalf.”
Earlier this month, Lucio filed an application with the court, raising questions about her innocence and the trial that saw her convicted.
Lucio argued the state used false testimony and suppressed favorable evidence to her case, that she’s innocent and there’s new scientific evidence to prove it. For these reasons, the court stayed the execution until these claims are reviewed.
“Mariah is in my heart today and always.” – Melissa Lucio
She also argued that her lawyers didn’t give her effective legal assistance at the time; that the state violated the Sixth Amendment protecting her from uncounseled pretrial interrogation; that there was juror misconduct; that gender bias led to her wrongful conviction; and that she’s innocent. The court disagreed with those claims.
Lucio’s attorneys say her daughter was injured during a fall shortly before she died. But, police still interrogated her for five hours about Mariah’s death. During the interrogation, Lucio said she was innocent over 100 times, until eventually telling police, “I guess I did it.”
Monday afternoon, State Rep. Jeff Leach sent out a statement saying “justice was served for Melissa Lucio – and for her daughter Mariah and the entire Lucio family.”
“As I have stated all along, Melissa’s case is the most troubling I have ever seen,” Leach said in a written statement. “The system literally failed her at every turn. Thankfully, the Court of Criminal Appeals pushed the pause button on her execution, saving the State of Texas from the irreversible blunder of potentially killing an innocent citizen.”
During a press conference shortly after the court’s decision, Abraham Bonowitz, the executive director of Death Penalty Action, a group advocating for the Lucio family, said, “We are elated that Melissa Lucio will not be killed on April 27.” A small crowd of supporters applauded behind him. Bonowitz said despite the decision, their fight continues. The court still has to review Lucio’s claims, after all. “It is not over by a long shot,” he said. “This campaign has to continue.”
