[16] In 2019, a three-judge panel of the Federal Appeals Court overturned the sentence and ordered a retrial because of the trial court's interference in Lucio's right to present a defense. Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death, July 10, 2008, in Brownsville, Texas. I believe that she should be in prison. A psychologist who reviewed recent testing of Melissa said that Melissa has highly abnormal levels of vulnerability to police coercion because of her background. Alexander Molony Siblings: Who Are Alexander Molony Siblings? You can also receive help via online.rainn.org, which is available 24/7. 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. Five of Lucios children were not living with her at the time of Mariah's death. Lucio has 14 children and was pregnant with the youngest two when Mariah died. She had scattered bruising, bite marks on her back, patches of hair that had been pulled out, and a broken arm. Email: [emailprotected] Kim Kardashian has joined the fight to stop the execution of Melissa Lucio, a woman sentenced to the death penalty for the death of her 2-year-old daughter in 2007. 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. They contend Mariah died from injuries from a fall down the 14 steps of a steep staircase outside the family's apartment in the South Texas city of Harlingen. But worn down from a lifetime of abuse and the grief of. She was interrogated for five hours by armed police officers who reportedly berated her. I have never seen a more troubling case than the case of Melissa Lucio," said state Rep. Jeff Leach, who signed the letter. 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". After several hours of interrogation, Lucio stated, "I guess I did it. Selina claims that none of her other siblings were abusive towards Mariah. Melissa Lucio was first sentenced to death in 2008 for the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. After the trial, in which the prosecution said that her daughter's injuries could have only been caused by abuse, Lucio was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death. They used coercive methods known to produce false confessions. 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. 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?" The medical examiner also testified at trial that a mark on Mariahs body were bite marks. However, pathologists who have reviewed the evidence have concluded that this testimony was false. Courtesy of the family of Melissa Lucio via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. And 30 groups that work on behalf of the Latinx community in Texas have said they support clemency, too. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. However, Ms. Lucios husband perpetuated the cycle of abuse. Guarnera said these are excellent tips to follow, but pointed out that detectives often do the opposite when they believe someone is a suspect and not a victim. Her supporters say she was . Keep up with her Twitter for more. She says she was coerced to confess by a Texas Ranger during her interrogation. Isla Bryson Children: Does Isla Bryson Have Children. ", "Her execution date looming, a mother maintains innocence in 2-year-old daughter's death", "Execution date set for Harlingen mom for murdering daughter", "Melissa Lucio execution - latest: Kim Kardashian appeals to Texas governor as juror says death sentence wrong", "Death row mum-of-14 hopes new videos could clear her of toddler's fatal fall", "Texas Set to Execute Melissa Lucio Despite Credible Claims of Innocence", "Former Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos Sentenced To Federal Prison In Connection With South Texas Bribery Scheme", "Harlingen woman faces April execution for daughter's 2007 murder", "Melissa Elizabeth Lucio v. The State of Texas (concurring)", "Federal Appeals Court Overturns Mother's Conviction in Texas Child Murder Case That May Have Been an Accidental Death", "Divided Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Texas Mother of Child Who May Have Died in Accidental Fall", "Court Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law: Manuel Velez", "A Texas mother could be executed in April. Former Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos, who was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison in 2014 for extortion in a case unrelated to Lucio's, described this statement as a confession during the trial. Her lawyers say this lifelong trauma made her susceptible to giving a false confession. If a majority of the Board of Pardons and Paroles were to recommend it, Governor Greg Abbott could grant clemency. Lucio, 40, of Harlingen was found guilty of capital murder for the death of her 21/2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. And that's as much as people want to know," he said. We speak to one of Lucio's attorneys . 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. She had many bruises bite marks on her back patches of hair pulled out and a broken arm. RELATED: Rumors Swirl That Kim Kardashian May Eventually Run For Office What A Kardashian Presidency Could Look Like. "Her autopsy revealed bruised kidneys, a bruised spinal cord and bruised lungs," the D.A. "There's so much more to it that happens way before the crime.". BROWNSVILLE - Melissa Elizabeth Lucio was formally sentenced to death by lethal injection in the 13th Judicial District Court, according to a Cameron county District Attorney's Office release. tiktokscr.parentNode.insertBefore(jsTikTok, tiktokscr); 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. Lawyers for Lucio deny those claims and say the bruising was a result of the fall. The husband of Melissa Lucio, Roberto Antonio Alvarez, is known to have testified in the case involving the death of his daughter, Mariah Alvarez. Lucio and her children struggled through poverty. I'm responsible. "I guess I did it," Lucio responded when asked if she was responsible for some of Mariah's injuries. More than 130 Baptist, Evangelical and Catholic faith leaders in Texas, including the executive director of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas and the director of the Rio Grande Valley Baptist Association, support clemency for Ms. Lucio. At the time of her death, Mariah was healing from an injury to her arm, which the medical examiner also said was a sign of abuse. Family photo via AP [22], In April 2022, a juror on the trial, Johnny Galvan Jr., wrote in the Houston Chronicle that he had wrongly succumbed to peer pressure during deliberations and had changed his vote from a life sentence to the death penalty. Website by MADEO. What we know today which we didnt know 15 years ago is that survivors of significant trauma and domestic abuse, like Ms. Lucio, are particularly vulnerable to the coercive police interrogation that Ms. Lucio endured for over five hours. The little girl's mother, Melissa Lucio, claimed her daughter, Mariah Alvarez, had abrasions on her back and was covered in bruises because of a fall down a steep set of 14 steps two days earlier outside the family's new apartment. Ms. Lucio received a death penalty sentence and is appealing. Police contaminate the persons statement meaning they feed the innocent person crime facts or a specific narrative of guilt. At the time, Lucio said, the toddler didn't appear to be hurt, ABC News reported, citing court records. Later on, Lucio had seven children with Robert Alvarez. "I guess I did it," police say Lucio told them. Mariah was Lucio's twelfth child. Prosecutors say Lucio fatally beat her 2-year-old daughter but Lucio has long denied that, saying Mariah died from injuries sustained during a fall down a flight of stairs. Studies have shown that even trained forensic dentists cant agree whether or not an injury is a bite mark. 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. "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 was not evil. Mechanic agreed, describing dissociation as a coping mechanism. 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. At Ms. Lucios trial, the medical examiner testified that the bruises and injuries on Mariahs body could only have been caused by abuse. "Lucio still advances no evidence that is reliable and supportive of her acquittal," the office wrote in court documents last month. 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 this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding one of her sons, John. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Grants Clemency To Julius Jones Hours Before Scheduled Execution Amid Public Pressure, She also claims three of her older siblings, 5 Death Penalty Facts That Will Make You Want To Abolish It Now, Man Refuses To Let His Friend's Service Dog Over To His House Because He's 'Not A Dog Person', Woman Claims Uber Driver 'Sighed' And 'Complained' About Having To Load Her Wheelchair Into His Car, Pedro Pascale Fans Rediscover His Camp Character In 90s Hit Show Undressed & Cant Get Enough Of It, Rumors Swirl That Kim Kardashian May Eventually Run For Office What A Kardashian Presidency Could Look Like. She allegedly suffered abuse by multiple partners that continued throughout her teenage years and into adulthood. "My mother is an innocent woman. 03/23/2022 by Anne Tyler Melissa Lucio, a middle-aged mother, was sentenced to death for allegedly killing her two-year-old son. Many people accept that Lucio's case is a reasonable case of treason, while others accept that she deserved the sanctions. "[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. The Cameron County District Attorneys Office reports that Mariah was discovered at the residence with physical evidence of abuse. Lucio has said that her daughter who had a condition that caused her foot to be turned in fell down a flight of outdoor stairs as the family was preparing to move to a new apartment. Lucio told police Mariah fell asleep and did not wake up. In 2008 a Cameron County jury found Lucio guilty on one count of capital murder for causing the death of her daughter, Mariah Alvarez. "What victims learn to do in these relationships in order to survive the abuse or violence is they learn to capitulate, they learn to comply, they learn to appease. She is scheduled to be executed by. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding one of her sons, John. Mariah's mother, Melissa Lucio was convicted of capital murder in this case. On February 17 2007 paramedics came to the Lucio home because two-year-old Mariah was not breathing and didnt respond. At the time, Mr. Villalobos was seeking re-election, and came under fire for failing to thoroughly investigate or prosecute more than 100 previous allegations of child abuse. Lucio's case was the subject of a 2020 documentary, The State of Texas vs. Melissa. Lucio was found guilty of abusing and killing her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, in 2007. More are learning about Ms. Lucios case and advocating for her each day. 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, Detectives rushed to judgment and, just two hours after Mariah died, took Ms. Lucio in for questioning. Lucio also has a lower-than-average IQ. Performance & security by Cloudflare. The Free Melissa Lucio project has worked closely with John Lucio, Melissa Lucio's eldest son, as he advocates for his mother's exoneration. Mariahs autopsy showed signs of a blood coagulation disorder, which causes profuse bruising throughout the body. My moms sisters said that she would get a lesser sentence if we said we abused my sister, Selina adds. He also stated that Lucio's execution would be a terrible tragedy. Attempts to reach Crain were unsuccessful. Instead, those fighting for Lucio to be granted clemency claim she is a survivor of child physical and sexual abuse who was coerced into confessing to Mariahs murder. Here are 5 things to . He is now serving a 13-year federal prison sentence for bribery and extortion. Lucio, 40, of Harlingen was found guilty of capital murder for the death of her 21/2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. Ms. Lucios execution for April 27, for a crime that never occurred. 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. 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. She was convicted of capital murder after the death of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, who was found to have scattered bruising in various stages of healing, as well as injuries to her head and contusions of the kidneys, lungs and spinal cord. Studies have shown that even trained forensic dentists cant agree whether or not an injury is a bite mark. Lucio said Mariah fell down the stairs two days ago and got hurt. Mariahs autopsy showed signs of a blood coagulation disorder, which causes profuse bruising throughout the body. The parole board was scheduled to vote on Lucio's clemency petition two days before the execution. . The omission of this crucial evidence was particularly damaging because the prosecution had a weak case for capital murder, and an even weaker case for a death sentence. Mariah was the twelfth child of Lucio. [1] Lucio's execution was set for April 27, 2022, but an appeals court granted her a stay on April 25, 2022. AP 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. , 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. This undated handout photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Melissa Lucio. Mariah was Lucio's twelfth child. She said that her boyfriend was often violent and used drugs and alcohol. This is an incredibly serious allegation that must be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly in order to ensure justice for a young girl whose life has already been so drastically impacted by such trauma. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez welcomed Mariah into the world in September 2004. TODR - 10 years. 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. [4], Mariah Alvarez was born to Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez in September 2004. Hours after Mariah's death, Lucio was interrogated by police for over five hours, according to her lawyers. Lucio, who is an inmate on Texas death row, is set to be executed on Apr. The interrogating officers refused to hear the truth: that Melissa did not, and would not, ever hurt her children. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding her daughter Mariah. Photos: Melissa Lucio Daughter Mariah Alvarez Autopsy Melissa Lucio is the first Hispanic woman to receive a death sentence in the state of Texas. 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