The death row inmate could become the first person in the U.S. put to death based on a diagnosis that many now say was based on junk science.
FILE - Police tape cordons off the scene of a crime in Levittown, Pa., Saturday, March 16, 2024. Police departments reported a year-over-year increase in sworn officers in 2023 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began and since the 2020 police killing of George Floyd spurred nationwide protests and increased scrutiny of police, according to a survey released by the Police Executive Research Forum.
1 hour ago1 hour agoTemperatures drop to the 40s by Thursday morning in SE TexasKeep your drink cold longer with these tumblers. See more Insider Deals here.Former Detective Brian Wharton testifies during a Criminal Jurisprudence hearing on death row inmate Robert Roberson on Oct. 16 in Austin. Wharton was an investigator in the case of the death of Nikki Roberson and has expressed his doubts about Roberson's guilt and agrees with stopping his execution.Despite a bipartisan chorus of calls to stop Texas death row inmate Robert Roberson from becoming the first person in the country executed for allegedly shaking a baby to death, the state’s parole board denied his closely watched clemency application Wednesday, leaving his execution on track for Thursday. The Texas Board of Pardons and Parole’s six members voted unanimously to deny the request. The decision came as lawmakers raised concerns that the courts were not properly implementing a groundbreaking 2013 “junk science” law that was intended to provide justice to people convicted based on scientific evidence that has since changed or been debunked. “It is not shocking that the criminal justice system failed Mr. Roberson so badly. What’s shocking is that, so far, the system has been unable to correct itself," Gretchen Sween, Roberson's attorney, said in a statement after the board's vote, adding that Roberson's team would ask Gov.to issue a 30-day reprieve. “We pray that Governor Abbott does everything in his power to prevent the tragic, irreversible mistake of executing an innocent man.” While Abbott can issue a one-time reprieve, he cannot defy the board’s recommendation against clemency. Abbott's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.to spare Roberson’s life continued. Brian Wharton, the lead detective in Roberson’s case who sided with the prosecution at trial, hasof the Texas House has asked the courts to take a second look at his case. Doug Deason, a GOP megadonor and Abbott ally, also“I felt like God was pushing me and telling me that I needed to get involved in this case,” DeasonRoberson, who was convicted of capital murder in 2003 for the death of his ailing 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, has maintained his innocence over 20 years on death row.He has argued that his conviction was based on an unfounded shaken baby syndrome diagnosis given to his daughter, which presumed abuse and did not consider her severe illness before her death. Prosecutors have maintained that Nikki suffered multiple traumas and that there was clear evidence of abuse — conclusions that Roberson’s attorneys dispute.on Tuesday to stay Roberson’s execution through the 2025 legislative session, saying that the junk science law “has been applied in a manner that raises serious constitutional and equitable concerns.” “It is beyond dispute that medical evidence presented at Mr. Roberson’s trial in 2003 is inconsistent with modern scientific principles,” the lawmakers, requesting a stay so that the Legislature could consider amendments to the law. “We believe it would be a stain on the conscience of the State of Texas for an execution to proceed while efforts are underway to remedy deficiencies in how the law was applied to this case.”so far, with the state’s highest criminal court, on procedural grounds, declining on Wednesday to stop his execution. It The refusal by the state’s highest criminal court to consider Roberson’s argument that his conviction relied on a faulty shaken baby syndrome diagnosis, lawmakers said, reflected a breakdown of due process and a failure to implement the junk science law as the Legislature intended.on Tuesday. “Texans deserve to know that our justice system is fair and just, and we cannot say that right now.”spotlighting Roberson’s case and the junk science law on Wednesday as the clemency recommendation loomed. Critics have argued that in the decade since the bill became law, it has “We have one of the best junk science statutes in the nation here in Texas, and unfortunately it doesn’t seem like that was used here,” Hull said on CNN. “Under the junk science statute, Robert Roberson deserves a new trial.” Dozens of scientists, medical professionals, parental rights groups, organizations that advocate for people with autism and faith leaders submitted letters in support of clemency along with Roberson’s application. Letters from his friends and loved ones depicted a gentle man of faith who remembered people’s favorite colors and sent handmade birthday cards to everyone he met. “This man would never harm another person, especially not his small little baby girl!” Manuela Doris Roberson, whom Roberson married in 2022, wrote in one letter. “Robert’s life is worth more to me, his children, his friends and loved ones than all the treasures of this world.”
Criminal Justice Death Penalty Texas Death Row Texas Board Of Pardons And Paroles Greg Abbott Texas Legislature
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