But Ms. Lucios life is still in jeopardy. "And she was ashamed of what she did, and she had a hard time admitting to officers what had occurred. . She allegedly suffered abuse by multiple partners that continued throughout her teenage years and into adulthood. Abbott has granted clemency to only one death row inmate, Thomas Whitaker, since taking office in 2015. "Melissa Lucio has already thoroughly litigated the issues raised during her defense, including the theories that her statement was coerced and that her two-year-old daughter Mariah. Shes guilty of abusing my sister which led to the death of my sister. In the similar case of Manuel Velez, a man who was initially convicted for murdering a one-year-old baby and whose death sentence was overturned after further investigation, Farley's conclusions had also been contradicted by other medical experts. In the Hulu documentary, Melissa Lucio implies that her daughter Alexandra was responsible for Mariah's death. Five of Lucios children were not living with her at the time of Mariah's death. She had many bruises bite marks on her back patches of hair pulled out and a broken arm. Her inadvertent statement was then characterized by the prosecution as a confession to murder. "Do it real hard," he said. Website by MADEO. Lucio said that Mariah had fallen down a steep staircase during the family's move to a new apartment two days prior, but did not appear seriously injured, according to court records. A mitigation specialist at trial named Norma Villanueva claims that Alexandra admitted during a family meeting in June 2008 that she was the reason Mariah fell down the stairs.. Alexander Molony Parents: Who Are Alexander Molony Parents? IE 11 is not supported. She has maintained her innocence, and Cornell Law School professor Sandra Babcock has called the prosecution "by far the weakest capital case I've ever seen". In a video, a female officer asks the boy: "Did you see your sister fall down the stairs or did somebody tell you that she fell?" Hours after Melissa Lucio's 2-year-old daughter died in 2007, Texas Rangers took Lucio to an interrogation room where they yelled at her, threatened her and showed her pictures of her dead child, her attorneys said. The medical examiner also testified at trial that a mark on Mariahs body were bite marks. She was especially vulnerable, her lawyers say, as she was grieving for her daughter, pregnant with twins at the time, and a victim of abuse and trauma throughout her life. The detectives shouted at her, berated her for being a neglectful mother, and implied that if Mariah's death was not her fault then it had to have been one of her children, according to the petition. During the interrogation, officers berated and intimidated Ms. Lucio, who was pregnant and in shock from the loss of her child, for five hours. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. And that's as much as people want to know," he said. Isla Bryson Parents: Who Are The Parents Of Isla Bryson? In 2019, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. According to the Cameron County District Attorney's Office, Mariah was found at the home with signs of abuse on her body. They found out that Mariahs arm had been broken two to seven weeks before she died. "Lucio still advances no evidence that is reliable and supportive of her acquittal," the office wrote in court documents last month. Daughter Of Woman Kim Kardashian Wants Saved From Death Row Claims Mom Abused Sister Before Her Death, Photo: Twitter / Instagram / Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock, Oklahoma Gov. Prosecutors said that Mariah's injuries were the result of physical abuse, while Lucio's attorneys say that her death was caused by a fall down the stairs two days prior. Lucio is now fighting to stop her April 27 execution date. Lucy Guarnera, an assistant professor at the University of Virginia who studies false confessions, said law enforcement often uses "behavioral lie detection" techniques that look at a person's actions to predetermine innocence or guilt. Unprecedented pictures of Melissa Lucio 's examination have surfaced because of the absence of life column prisoner inside the narrative " Death by Mama" airs on ABC. On February 17, 2007, paramedics were called to the Lucio residence because two-year-old Mariah was unresponsive and not breathing. Minyvonne Burkeis a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. "I think that's really significant that, you know, the individuals who heard the evidence against Melissa feel that the new evidence is so powerful that they may have voted differently in the case, and it just underscores the need for a court to consider the new evidence of Melissa's innocence," Potkin said. 27, 2022 for the 2007 death of Mariah. the youngest of her 12 children at the time Ms. Lucio was taken into police custody and immediately blamed for her daughters death. Studies have shown that even trained forensic dentists cant agree whether or not an injury is a bite mark. [1][19], In August 2021, an amicus brief was filed on Lucio's behalf by a group consisting of legal scholars, experts on violence against women, and representatives from sixteen organizations that combat violence against women. Photos: Melissa Lucio Daughter, Mariah Alvarez Autopsy In the U.S. state of Texas, Melissa Lucio is the first woman of Hispanic descent to receive a death sentence. The local hospital declared the child dead. "When you get to this point, you find there's so many layers that most people aren't aware of and don't care about, frankly. The autopsy also revealed that Mariah had suffered a head injury and bruises on her kidneys, lungs, and spinal cord. The Texas Attorney General's Office maintains evidence shows Mariah suffered the "absolute worst" case of child abuse her emergency room doctor had seen in 30 years. "You're not making this firm division between a victim and suspect because a lot of times you don't know at the beginning who's a victim and who's a suspect.". The toddler had a mild physical disability that made her unstable while walking and prone to tripping. Details about what allegedly happened in the interrogation room were also outlined in the clemency petition. In shock and grieving the loss of her baby the youngest of her 12 children at the time Ms. Lucio was taken into police custody and immediately blamed for her daughter's death. However, pathologists who have reviewed the evidence have concluded that this testimony was false. In the documentary, Alexandra does not recall these alleged confessions. She was interrogated for five hours by armed police officers who reportedly berated her. On April 12, attorneys for Melissa filed a supplemental clemency application including a new declaration from a fifth juror Melissas jury foreperson who joins the calls of four other jurors and the alternate to halt Melissas pending execution or grant her a new trial where new evidence of her innocence can be considered. Press "Enter" or click on the arrow to show results. On April 15, Ms. Lucios attorneys filed a habeas petition with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals seeking a stay of her execution and arguing that she deserves a new trial because she is innocent and the State relied on false evidence,and hid favorable evidence, to convict her. "She was a good mother. Nearly 1 in 3 exonerated women were wrongly convicted of harming children or other loved ones in their care and over 70% were wrongly convicted of crimes that never took place at all events that were accidents, deaths by suicide, or fabricated according to data from the National Registry of Exonerations. since Ms. Lucios trial because it has no scientific basis. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding one of her sons, John. Her husband later abandoned her and their five children. If you have experienced sexual abuse and want to speak to someone, call the free and confidential National Sexual Assault hotline (1-800-656-HOPE or 1-800-656-4673). Nearly 15 years later, Lucio, 53, remains on death row at Mountain View Unit prison in Gatesville, Texas. "I guess I did it," Lucio responded when asked if she was responsible for some of Mariah's injuries. However, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who reviewed the evidence concluded that the medical examiners testimony was misleading and there is nothing about Mariahs fracture that indicates that, was the result of an intentional act or abuse. According to Selina, the documentary mischaracterizes the accusations against Lucio and adds to the belief that Lucio is innocent. Two of the officers who interrogated Ms. Lucio were present at Mariahs autopsy, leading to a biased autopsy process, and an incomplete investigation into Mariahs health history and causes of her injuries and death. Did OJ Simpson's Son Jason Kill Nicole Brown & Ron Goldman? Officers contaminated the confession by repeatedly showing Ms. Lucio photographs of relevant evidence and suggesting certain words and facts, which she ultimately parroted back to the officers. In this case, Melissa Lucio, Mariahs mother, was found guilty of capital murder. Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez became parents to Mariah in September 2004. The board plans to vote on Lucio's clemency petition two days before the scheduled execution, Rachel Alderete, the board's director of support operations, said in an email. , in recognition of the fact that bite mark evidence lacks scientific validity and following the exoneration of a man in Texas convicted based on faulty bite mark evidence, the Texas Forensic Science Commission recommended a state-wide moratorium on the use of bite mark evidence in criminal cases. MELISSA ELIZABETH LUCIO, Appellant v. THE STATE OF TEXAS ON DIRECT APPEAL CAUSE NUMBER 07-CR-885-B IN THE 138TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT CAMERON COUNTY Hervey, J., delivered the opinion of the Court in which Meyers, Johnson, Keasler, Cochran, and alcala, JJ., joined. Melissa Lucio is where she needs to be locked up behind bars for the death of her 2 year old daughter Mariah Alvarez. She says in another video that she never witnessed physical abuse, only her mother pinching Mariah or excluding her but says she later became aware that other physical abuse was happening. She had scattered bruising, bite marks on her back, patches of hair that had been pulled out, and a broken arm. In a letter last month to the Board of Pardons and Paroles and to Abbott, 83 Texas House members said executing Lucio would be "a miscarriage of justice.". All Rights Reserved. Melissa Lucio was first sentenced to death in 2008 for the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. [11][12] A pathologist, Dr. Norma J. Farley, testified that the childs autopsy indicated that she did not die from falling down stairs, and instead her injuries were consistent with a death from blunt force trauma. 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