Thank you for visiting us. She wasn't a perfect mother, but she made sure we were taken care of," he said. The State presented no physical evidence or witness testimony establishing that Lucio abused Mariah or any of her children, let alone killed Mariah, Judge Catharina Haynes wrote on behalf of the seven dissenting judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in response to the States scheduling of Lucios execution on April 27, 2022. After Mariah was born authorities found out that Lucio had taken cocaine. Website by MADEO. She said she believes she falsely confessed in part because of a learned fear of violence. Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Please spare the life of our mother," Lucio's children wrote in a letter to Abbott and the board. 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 it was the result of an intentional act or abuse This was an extremely common type of injury among toddlers that can result from a fall from standing height. "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. "What am I going to say? At 16, she became a child bride to escape. I am now convinced that the jury got it wrong and I know that there is too much doubt to execute Lucio. var tiktokscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; I am now convinced that the jury got it wrong and I know that there is too much doubt to execute Lucio. Updated on April 18, 2022, 7:30 p.m. Ms. Lucio received a death penalty sentence and is appealing. . He spoke in emotional support of his mother at a press conference on Friday held by civic engagement nonprofit Somos Tejas, Texas state Rep. Victoria Neave Criado and other Texas state legislators saying that his family "hasn't been the same" since her incarceration. Despite the defense's arguments, Lucio was found guilty of capital murder and later sentenced to death in 2008. In a previous investigation into Lucio for alleged child neglect, Child Protective Services found that his youngest kids were frequently left in the care of their older, teenage siblings. She allegedly suffered abuse by multiple partners that continued throughout her teenage years and into adulthood. She says she was coerced to confess by a Texas Ranger during her interrogation. [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. Convicted of murdering one of her 9 children, her 2 year old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. var isYTTikTok = 1; "We've had her interrogation reviewed by leading experts in interrogation and false confessions. Was her child's death really a murder? Lucio claimed that Alvarez had fallen down the stairs but it was quickly noted that Alvarez had suffered horrific abuse. 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. Paramedics were called to Melissa Lucio's home in Harlingen, Texas, on Feb. 17, 2007, after her 2-year-old daughter Mariah Alvarez was found unresponsive and not breathing. Afterward, Lucio had seven kids with Robert Alvarez. 03/23/2022 by Anne Tyler Melissa Lucio, a middle-aged mother, was sentenced to death for allegedly killing her two-year-old son. Guadalupe Lucio and Melissa Lucio had their first five children together when they were just 16 years old with their youngest daughter Lucio being the most recent addition. 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. Shortly after Mariah was born, Lucio tested positive for cocaine use; as a result, authorities decided to place her children in foster care. However, the full court in 2021 said the conviction had to be upheld for procedural reasons, "despite the difficult issue of the exclusion of testimony that might have cast doubt on the credibility of Lucio's confession.". In 2016, 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. But Ms. Lucios life is still in jeopardy. "Her autopsy revealed bruised kidneys, a bruised spinal cord and bruised lungs," the D.A. Lucio asserted her innocence more than 100 times by verbally saying 86 times that she did not kill Mariah and by shaking her head no 35 other times, the petition said. On the other hand, her lawyers have been claiming that she was wrongfully convicted of beating her own child. said, adding that an emergency room doctor said it was the "absolute worst" case of child abuse. Lucio, 53, was convicted in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah, in 2007. 2023 Innocence Project. Your IP: It played at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020, and won best documentary at the Raindance Film Festival. Melissa Lucio holds her daughter Mariah. And they found that her statements are completely unreliable, that they're a mere regurgitation of the words that the officers were feeding to her over the course of five hours," Potkin said. Family photo via AP Ms. Lucio had no prior record of violence. Lucio was convicted in the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah, and sentenced to be executed. } Studies have shown that even trained forensic dentists cant agree whether or not an injury is a bite mark. Child Protective Services had previously investigated Lucio for allegations of child neglect, and they reported that Lucio's youngest children were often left in the care of their teenaged siblings. Texas lawmakers push for clemency or reprieve for Melissa Lucio, woman on death row accused of killing her child . Mariah was crying but did not appear to have any serious injuries, Lucio said. "If those threats in the interrogation are a trigger and she checks out, it can again be easy for her to just say whatever because she's trying to cope with what feels like a present threat.". She would be the first Latina to ever be executed in the state. In late 2006 Lucio got back the other kids after three older kids went to live with their father in Houston. When she was a toddler, the family moved to the Rio Grande Valley, where her mother had grown up, after her father passed away when she was still an infant. Lucio was found guilty of abusing and killing her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, in 2007. Mariah was the twelfth child of Lucio. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Please consult your doctor before taking any action. That's what crossed my mind. Lucio's second-oldest daughter, 20 at the time of Mariah's death, said she told police and Lucio's lawyers that her 15-year-old sister would abuse Mariah when their parents weren't around . They used coercive methods known to produce false confessions. "She gets very emotional because no one believed her for so many years that she was innocent. Abbott can grant a one-time, 30-day reprieve. The project's petition, asking Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz to rescind the execution, has received over 44,000 signatures. Selina, the fifth of Lucios 14 children, initially came forward on TikTok back in 2021 after the release of The State Of Texas vs. Melissa, a documentary on Hulu that covers the case and Lucios fight to have her conviction overturned. Texas Innocent Project. Melissa Lucio was found guilty of a very serious crime called "capital murder". RELATED: Rumors Swirl That Kim Kardashian May Eventually Run For Office What A Kardashian Presidency Could Look Like. Guadalupe Lucio and Melissa Lucio had their first five children together when they were just 16 years old. Her father died when she was an infant, and the family moved to the Rio Grande Valley, where her mother had grown up, when she was a toddler. But worn down from a lifetime of abuse and the grief of losing her daughter Mariah, her lawyers say, the Texas woman finally acquiesced to investigators. 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. Lucio was addicted to cocaine and tested positive shortly after Mariah was born; this prompted authorities to place her children in foster care. 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. 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. [26], On March 6, 2022, in the main segment of an episode of the HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver called "Wrongful Convictions", her case was the main one to be mentioned as a reason for the reform of the American justice system and specifically, the abolition of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA). After several hours of interrogation, Lucio stated, "I guess I did it. At 6 years old, she was sexually assaulted by one of her mother's partners, her legal team said in the clemency petition. Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from the Innocence Project: Ms. Lucio is facing execution on April 27 for a crime that never occurred. . After nearly 15 years on death row in Texas, Lucio was granted a stay of her scheduled . Please avoid sharing any personal information in the comments below and join us in making this a hate-speech free and safe space for everyone. The application also states that the state medical examiner who performed Mariah's autopsy was told that Lucio admitted to abusing the girl and was accompanied by two of the interrogating officers during the autopsy. In shock and grieving the loss of her baby. In 2008, Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death in Texas for the murder of her 2-year old daughter Mariah, who died two days after a tragic fall down a flight of stairs. He got a four-year sentence for causing injury to a child by omission even though he also was responsible for Mariah's care, Lucio's lawyers argue. The Office of Justice Programs, an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice that focuses on crime prevention through research and development, said in a published report on interviewing domestic violence victims that detectives should "give credibility to the victim without expecting a high level of cooperation.". It's because of the trauma that she has suffered all of her life," she said. To date, over 100 bipartisan Texas lawmakers signed letters urging the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend clemency for Melissa. They used coercive methods known to produce false confessions. Melissa Lucio Mariahs mother was found guilty of capital murder. Her young daughter Mariah died and had many injuries like bruises on her head kidneys lungs spinal cord and other places. Ms. Lucio struggled at times to provide for her family, but was a caring mother, who did her best given her incredibly difficult circumstances. It would send a message that innocence doesn't matter," said Vanessa Potkin, one of Lucio's attorneys who is with the Innocence Project. She stated that he was often addicted to drugs and alcohol and was physically abusive. A woman facing execution in Texas for killing her daughter is seeking clemency, claiming she was coerced into confessing to the crime. "I don't want to be in that room on April 27 to see her get executed," Michelle Lucio said. They say he didnt take his daughter to the doctor when she needed it. Three jurors and one alternate in Lucio's trial have signed affidavits expressing doubts about her conviction. The Free Melissa Lucio project has worked closely with John Lucio, Melissa Lucio's eldest son, as he advocates for his mother's exoneration. In a March 2022 letter to the Board of Pardons and Paroles and to Governor Abbott, eighty-three members of the Texas House of Representatives, including both Democrats and Republicans, signed a letter stating that executing Lucio would be "a miscarriage of justice". Only 17 women have been executed in the U.S. since the Supreme Court lifted its ban on the death penalty in 1976, most recently in January 2021. The local hospital said the child had passed away. "People generally confess falsely to get out of the interrogation room," Guarnera said. He is now serving a 13-year federal prison sentence for bribery and extortion. Abbott's office, the Cameron County District Attorney's Office and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles did not immediately respond to ABC News' requests for comment. "[10], During the trial, Lucio's recorded statements from her interrogation were described as a confession by Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos, who was seeking re-election at the time. [17] This decision was subsequently overturned in an en banc hearing of the same court[18] and Lucio remained on death row. The hourslong interrogation ended with Lucio being coerced into confessing, her legal team has said, arguing that her past experiences with physical abuse and sexual assault made her susceptible to taking responsibility for her daughter's death even though, they said, she was innocent. The photos current inside and out . Mariahs autopsy showed signs of a blood coagulation disorder, which causes profuse bruising throughout the body. "And we intend on keeping that promise.". Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a134b9f398d2f98 Mariah Alvarez, daughter of Melissa Lucio, was a young little girl who lost her life at a very young age. Lucio, sentenced to death for killing her daughter, maintains her innocence. The State presented no physical evidence or witness testimony establishing that Lucio abused Mariah or any of her children, let alone killed Mariah, Judge Catharina Haynes wrote on behalf of the seven dissenting judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. During the interrogation, officers berated and intimidated Ms. Lucio, who was pregnant and in shock from the loss of her child, for five hours. [15], A 2011 appeal against the conviction was denied by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Lucio, 40, of Harlingen was found guilty of capital murder for the death of her 21/2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. Bite mark analysis has been. A psychologist who reviewed recent testing of Melissa said that Melissa has highly abnormal levels of vulnerability to police coercion because of her background. He is accused of neglecting to take his daughter to the doctor. Prosecutors say the now-53-year-old abused her daughter, Mariah, while Lucio maintains that her death was a result of injuries sustained from falling down a flight of stairs outside their Texas home. Whitaker was convicted of masterminding the fatal shootings of his mother and brother. They implied that if she did not confess, she wouldn't be allowed to attend Mariahs funeral. Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death in Texas after she confessed to beating her 2-year-old daughter, who later died. She is . My mother was never the abusing woman -- the monster that the district attorney Armando Villalobos, former district attorney, made it seem like," John Lucio said. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Lucio that her teenage daughter, Alexandra, may have been responsible for the bruises found on Mariahs body after her death. "https:" : "http:") + '//www.tiktok.com/embed.js'; [4] As of 2022, Lucio is being held on death row[14] at the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas. "[20], In January 2022, Cameron County officials signed an execution warrant for Lucio. "You can see this in Melissa Lucio's case. 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. Isla Bryson Parents: Who Are The Parents Of Isla Bryson? If I could take back my vote, I would, Johnny Galvan Jr., one of the jurors in Ms. Lucios case, wrote in, An innocent person is misclassified as a guilty suspect, Police coerce an innocent person into falsely incriminating themselves. "Please allow us to reconcile with Mariah's death and remember her without fresh pain, anguish and grief. Ms. Lucio endured abuse throughout her childhood and into her teenage years. Alexander Molony Children: Does Alexander Molony Have A Child? The International Association of Chiefs of Police, a Virginia-based association for police leaders, has a guide on the best practices law enforcement should follow for successful trauma-informed interviewing. Guarnera said she believes a practice used by police in Europe, called the Peace model, would help people in situations similar to Lucio's. I'm responsible. And experts who have reviewed Ms. Lucios case, including her interrogation records, have concluded that Ms. Lucio was relentlessly pressured and extensively manipulated during the interrogation. Mariah was the twelfth child of Lucio. CPS records used in the trial do not evidence that suggests Lucio was abusive. As indicated by legal counsel at the Lucio Reassessment Watch group, Melissa is not at fault. On February 17 2007 paramedics came to the Lucio home because two-year-old Mariah was not breathing and didnt respond. Ms. Lucio got the death penalty but shes asking for a chance to appeal. Neave Criado who visited Melissa Lucio on death row earlier this week spoke at the conference about the bipartisan support her case has received. 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. 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. This was an extremely common type of injury among toddlers that can result from a fall from standing height. Lucio, 53, would be the first Latina executed by Texas and the first woman since 2014. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. In a now-deleted tweet, Kardashian described the crime as a tragic accident. However, some of Lucios children have spoken out, insisting that their mother is guilty. The Texas Rangers did not respond to repeated phone calls and emails for comment about the case. He then told Lucio that he would "help" her if she told him what he already knew. HOUSTON During hours of relentless questioning, Melissa Lucio more than 100 times had denied fatally beating her 2-year-old daughter. Ms. Lucio has maintained her innocence on death row for more than 14 years. Alexander Molony Parents: Who Are Alexander Molony Parents? Lucios defense team has pointed out many issues in the case that suggest Lucio never got a fair trial. Ms. Lucio, who was given the death penalty, is filing an appeal. In this case, Melissa Lucio, Mariahs mother, was found guilty of capital murder. Melissa Lucio was found guilty of a very serious crime called capital murder. Selina says that Lucio was, not abusive to all of us. 2023byTango Publishing Corporation All Rights Reserved. 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