Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Shes guilty of abusing my sister which led to the death of my sister. [7] The child was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Melissa Elizabeth Lucio (born June 18, 1969) is the first woman of Hispanic descent to be sentenced to death in the U.S. state of Texas. Details about what allegedly happened in the interrogation room were also outlined in the clemency petition. "[10], One of Lucio's sons was also questioned by law enforcement shortly after Mariah's death. [17] This decision was subsequently overturned in an en banc hearing of the same court[18] and Lucio remained on death row. Read and share these key facts before Texas makes the irreversible mistake of killing an innocent woman. 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. 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. Melissa Lucio was born in Lubbock Texas on June 18 1969 as stated in court documents. As two experts on false confessions have determined, due to the officers tactics and Ms. Lucios vulnerability, her incriminating statements are not a reliable confession of her guilt, but rather are a regurgitation of information relayed to her from investigators throughout the interrogation.. "[24], On April 25, 2022, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued a stay of execution and ordered the 138th Judicial District Court of Cameron County to consider new evidence of Lucio's innocence in the death of her daughter. If I could take back my vote, I would, Johnny Galvan Jr., one of the jurors in Ms. Lucios case, wrote in a recent op-ed in the Houston Chronicle. var isYTTikTok = 1; Now, are you a cold-blooded killer or were you a frustrated mother who just took it out on [Mariah]?" The Cameron County District Attorneys Office reports that Mariah was discovered at the residence with physical evidence of abuse. They also say Lucio wasn't allowed to present evidence questioning the validity of her confession. 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. "And she was ashamed of what she did, and she had a hard time admitting to officers what had occurred. After Mariah was born authorities found out that Lucio had taken cocaine. "She was not evil. Isla Bryson Children: Does Isla Bryson Have Children. While she was incarcerated, she gave birth to twins, making four total. 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. You know? She was scheduled for execution on April 27, 2022. Courtesy of the family of Melissa Lucio via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Tema, Ghana, Phone: +233 24 137 5919 Performance & security by Cloudflare. 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. Melissa Lucio holds her daughter Mariah. After several hours of interrogation, Ms. Lucio said, I guess I did it, and made other incriminating statements, to get the officers to end the interrogation. Bite mark analysis has been. Family photo via AP In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding one of her sons, John. "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. She is . Lucio is seeking clemency as her April 27 execution date approaches. Lucio, born in Lubbock, Texas, endured years of abuse and violence, according to her attorneys. Mariah's mother, Melissa Lucio was convicted of capital murder in this case. Lucio regained custody of the other kids in late 2006 after three older kids moved in with their father in Houston. She would be the first Latina to ever be executed in the state. 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. In their clemency petition, Lucio's lawyers say that while she had used drugs, leading her to temporarily lose custody of her children, she was a loving mother who worked to remain drug-free and provide for her family. 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. Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death, July 10, 2008, in Brownsville, Texas. Melissa Lucio's daughter Mariah Alvarez's autopsy photos got released earlier, and the results are unconvincing to experts like Dr. Thomas Young. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Updated on April 18, 2022, 7:30 p.m. [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. During the interrogation, officers berated and intimidated Ms. Lucio, who was pregnant and in shock from the loss of her child, for five hours. Lucio, 53, would be the first Latina executed by Texas and the first woman since 2014. Help us advocate for the innocent by sharing the latest news from the Innocence Project. She said that her boyfriend was often violent and used drugs and alcohol. Lucio then had seven children with Robert Alvarez. New evidence suggests the death may have been an accident - and today, the Texas Board of Pardons . 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. At Ms. Lucios trial, the medical examiner testified that the bruises and injuries on Mariahs body could only have been caused by abuse. TODR - 10 years. "The ask is very specific. 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.". Many family members and supporters say the girl's . According to the Cameron County District Attorney's Office, Mariah was found at the home with signs of abuse on her body. He concluded that Dr. Farley appeared to have jumped to wrong conclusions. 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". The medical examiner also testified at trial that a mark on Mariahs body were bite marks. 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. Paramedics were called and Lucio was quickly taken in for questioning about the death of her youngest child. A woman facing execution in Texas for killing her daughter is seeking clemency, claiming she was coerced into confessing to the crime. Melissa , a documentary set to be released in 2020, is based on her case. "I guess I did it," Lucio responded when asked if she was responsible for some of Mariah's injuries. 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. 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. Selina says that Lucio was, not abusive to all of us. At 6 years old, she was sexually assaulted by one of her mother's partners, her legal team said in the clemency petition. The trial court prohibited this testimony but allowed the Texas Ranger who coerced Ms. Lucios incriminating statement to testify, falsely, for the prosecution that Ms. Lucios slumped posture, passivity, and failure to make eye contact told him that she was guilty. 16th Street, 2nd Avenue, Batsona Community 18 [3] Lucio says she was sexually abused by her mother's boyfriend for about two years, beginning when she was seven years old. [4] As of 2022, Lucio is being held on death row[14] at the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas. Despite the defense's arguments, Lucio was found guilty of capital murder and later sentenced to death in 2008. All Rights Reserved. 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. Greg Abbott and the Board of Pardons and Paroles in March of this year, arguing an unreliable confession and "unscientific, false evidence that misled the jury into believing that Mariah Alvarez must have been killed by physical abuse, when the evidence is actually consistent with a conclusion that Mariah died from medical complications after a fall" based on the declarations of various experts. According to Dr. Young, Melissa Lucio should not be executed because he believes she is innocent. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. But Ms. Lucios life is still in jeopardy. She died two days later. }); The content produced by YourTango is for informational and educational purposes only. 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. No physical evidence showed otherwise. Alexander Molony Children: Does Alexander Molony Have A Child? She was sexually abused by family members beginning at the age of 6. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding one of her sons, John. Detectives rushed to judgment and, just two hours after Mariah died, took Ms. Lucio in for questioning. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Call Gov. 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. According to Bonowitz, factors like ableism and racial and socioeconomic bias in the criminal justice system pose too much of a threat to warrant the use of the death penalty. In the 2020 documentary "The State of Texas vs. Melissa," Lucio said investigators kept pushing her to say she had hurt Mariah. April 7, 2022, 9:13 AM, CDT Fourteen years ago, Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death for killing the youngest of her 12 children, Mariah, in Harlingen. According to Selina, the documentary mischaracterizes the accusations against Lucio and adds to the belief that Lucio is innocent. 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. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. The tragic incident that took away a young life happened in her own house. However, the case of Melissa Lucio, who murdered her daughter after years of abuse, has sparked more debate than ever before. She claims bruises found on Mariahs body were consistent with rings her mother would wear. 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. It would send a message that innocence doesn't matter," said Vanessa Potkin, one of Lucio's attorneys who is with the Innocence Project. 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. During her trial, those statements were presented to the jury as her confession. By way of history, Mr. Alvarez found his daughter pale and not breathing in the family home and attempted to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation until EMS arrived. But worn down from a lifetime of abuse and the grief of. "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.". Alexander Molony Girlfriend: Who Is Alexander Molony Girlfriend? It played at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020, and won best documentary at the Raindance Film Festival. Convicted of murdering one of her 9 children, her 2 year old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. It was later determined that Mariah's arm had been broken two to seven weeks before her death, and an autopsy also showed a head injury and bruising of the kidneys, lungs and spinal cord. , 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. since Ms. Lucios trial because it has no scientific basis. Potkin said Lucio's presumed guilt "was a complete rush to judgment" spurred on by misunderstanding, a "highly manipulative and coercive" interrogation and faulty forensics. Prosecutors, however, painted a different picture. [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). Without that context, the jury was undoubtedly swayed by Ms. Lucios statement and the Texas Rangers testimony about her demeanor during the interrogation. "This is a woman who has a history of being threatened, being yelled at," she said. I'm responsible. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding her daughter Mariah. window.addEventListener('scroll', function() { jsTikTok.type = 'text/javascript'; 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. Eighty-three Texas representatives signed a letter asking that she be granted clemency. The U.S. Supreme Court in October declined to review a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that upheld her conviction, paving the way for her execution. The Texas Rangers did not respond to repeated phone calls and emails for comment about the case. And 30 groups that work on behalf of the Latinx community in Texas have said they support clemency, too. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. HOUSTON During hours of relentless questioning, Melissa Lucio more than 100 times had denied fatally beating her 2-year-old daughter. 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. 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. Some of the children living with Lucio were previously taken from the home by Child Protective Services and placed into foster care when Mariah was three weeks old, in 2004. Mariah Alvarez: Melissa Lucio Daughter Mariah Alvarez Autopsy Viral on Twitter & Reddit. Melissa Lucio holds her daughter Mariah. Her lawyers say this lifelong trauma made her susceptible to giving a false confession. Her young daughter Mariah died and had many injuries like bruises on her head kidneys lungs spinal cord and other places. Andy Griffiths, a former senior investigating officer with the U.K. police, wrote in a 2012 article that the Peace model trains officers to focus on "probing a suspect's account" instead of trying to force a confession. 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. the youngest of her 12 children at the time Ms. Lucio was taken into police custody and immediately blamed for her daughters death. He also stated that Lucio's execution would be a terrible tragedy. Michelle Lucio, John's wife who knew Melissa Lucio prior to her conviction, recalled the conversations with her during their visits in prison. Lucio has 14 children and was pregnant with the youngest two when Mariah died. 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. In the Hulu documentary, Melissa Lucio implies that her daughter Alexandra was responsible for Mariah's death. 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. Photos: Melissa Lucio Daughter Mariah Alvarez Autopsy - Melissa Lucio is the first Hispanic woman to receive a death sentence in the state of Texas. Mariah was the twelfth child of Lucio. 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. 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. 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.". Because of this, they decided to take her children and put them in foster care. [1] Lucio's execution was set for April 27, 2022, but an appeals court granted her a stay on April 25, 2022. 27, 2022 for the 2007 death of Mariah. Mariah fell down a flight of stairs while the family was moving homes on Feb. 15, 2007. Lucio's lawyers say the evidence shows it was a tragic accident. 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