Mariah was the twelfth child of Lucio. FilmRise By Maurice Chammah The detective handed Melissa Lucio a plastic doll and asked her to spank it. It would be an absolutely devastating message for this execution to go forward. They also claim that Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos had previously been accused of inadequately investigating over 100 claims of child abuse. In the 2020 documentary "The State of Texas vs. Melissa," Lucio said investigators kept pushing her to say she had hurt Mariah. Please consult your doctor before taking any action. April 17 2022, 4:00 a.m. "Free Melissa . The tragic incident that took away a young life happened in her own house. ", "Texas mother is set for execution as evidence suggests she did not kill her child", "I voted to sentence Melissa Lucio to death. 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. It played at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020, and won best documentary at the Raindance Film Festival. Calls are growing for Texas to stop the approaching execution of Melissa Lucio, who says she was wrongfully convicted of killing her toddler Mariah in 2007. Melissa Lucio, only Latina on Texas death row, seeks clemency as execution looms. In this undated photograph, Melissa Lucio holds one of her sons, John. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. After the death of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, who had injuries to her head, contusions of the kidneys, lungs, and spinal cord, as well as scattered bruises that were in various stages of healing, she was found guilty of capital murder. 27, 2022 for the 2007 death of Mariah. To date, over 100 bipartisan Texas lawmakers signed letters urging the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend clemency for Melissa. Lucio told police Mariah fell asleep and did not wake up. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding one of her sons, John. Isla Bryson Children: Does Isla Bryson Have Children. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a134b9f398d2f98 Melissa Lucio was born in Lubbock Texas on June 18 1969 as stated in court documents. On the other hand, her lawyers have been claiming that she was wrongfully convicted of beating her own child. Bite mark analysis has been. 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. Though Selina believes her mother is guilty, she does not want her to be killed and says she signed the petition to request clemency for Lucio. 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. Hours after Mariah's death, Lucio was interrogated by police for over five hours, according to her lawyers. See additional information. At times, they were homeless and relied on food banks for meals, according to the petition. I'm responsible. Lucio, sentenced to death for killing her daughter, maintains her innocence. 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. 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.Lucio Successor Writ Application, at 136 (quoting David Thompsons Expert Report). On Feb. 8, attorneys for Ms. Lucio, to withdraw or modify her looming execution date, and on March 22, her legal team, to the governor and Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez welcomed Mariah into the world in September 2004. He concluded that Dr. Farley appeared to have jumped to wrong conclusions. Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez became parents to Mariah in September 2004. She stated that he was often addicted to drugs and alcohol and was physically abusive. It's because of the trauma that she has suffered all of her life," she said. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. The State of Texas has scheduled Ms. Lucios execution for April 27, for a crime that never occurred. Lucio was convicted for the death of her daughter Mariah Alvarez. 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. Melissa Lucio is where she needs to be locked up behind bars for the death of her 2 year old daughter Mariah Alvarez. "Do it real hard," he said. Mariah Alvarez: Melissa Lucio Daughter Mariah Alvarez Autopsy Viral on Twitter & Reddit. It stated that Lucio, who was pregnant with twins, was questioned by two armed detectives for more than five hours. pic.twitter.com/QZc5YyJZvo (@truecrimewitch) January 15, 2019 ET:This article has been updated to reflect the latest news in this case. . On April 15, Ms. Lucios. Lucio and her children struggled through poverty. Isla Bryson Parents: Who Are The Parents Of Isla Bryson? She was sexually abused by family members beginning at the age of 6. 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. He is accused of neglecting to take his daughter to the doctor. "I was not gonna admit to causing her death because I wasn't responsible," Lucio said. 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 officers relied on their presumptions about how a mother should act in this tragic scenario and their gut-feeling, without a thorough forensic examination of the evidence to draw an unscientific presumption of guilt, which then created tunnel vision of investigators and the interrogating officers. This undated handout photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Melissa Lucio. At one point, a ranger got within inches of Lucio's face and said there was evidence that did not look good, the petition stated. A juror from the trial has since expressed concerns and regret over the verdict, according to the Innocence Project. Detectives rushed to judgment and, just two hours after Mariah died, took Ms. Lucio in for questioning. In the documentary, Alexandra does not recall these alleged confessions. 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. Lucio that her teenage daughter, Alexandra, may have been responsible for the bruises found on Mariahs body after her death. The local hospital said the child had passed away. Her young daughter Mariah died and had many injuries like bruises on her head kidneys lungs spinal cord and other places. Among the tips is to make the victim feel safe, arrange for an advocate to be present in the room, express compassion and not interrupt the victim. You can also receive help via online.rainn.org, which is available 24/7. Lucio's lawyers say the evidence shows it was a tragic accident. Three jurors and one alternate in Lucio's trial have signed affidavits expressing doubts about her conviction. Lucio is seeking clemency as her April 27 execution date approaches. Melissa Lucio was born in Lubbock, Texas,[2] on June 18, 1969, according to court records. "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. Lucio claims that starting when she was seven years old, her mothers boyfriend sexually abused her for approximately two years. "Mariah's death was a tragedy not a murder. 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. Lucio was found guilty of abusing and killing her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, in 2007. Abbott can grant a one-time, 30-day reprieve. She kind of just regurgitates it back, she says the same thing as they said to her because that's the easiest way out," she explained. I was wrong", "I am sending a letter to Governor @GregAbbot_Tx", "Texas death row prisoner Melissa Lucio granted stay of execution", "Hulu Acquires U.S. Rights to Tribeca Documentary, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Melissa_Lucio&oldid=1139933110, Articles with failed verification from December 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 16:02. 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. 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. Melissa Lucio's daughter Mariah Alvarez's autopsy photos got released earlier, and the results are unconvincing to experts like Dr. Thomas Young. 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. 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. Mariah was the twelfth child of 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. 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. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Lucio's conviction, ruling she was deprived of "her constitutional right to present a meaningful defense." 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 died two days later. Her execution is set to take place on April 27. She started abusing only my sister, Mariah.. 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 . ", The investigator went on to say that he knew Lucio wanted to confess "because she's giving that slouched appearance.". 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. since Ms. Lucios trial because it has no scientific basis. The autopsy showed that Mariah also had a head injury and bruises on her kidneys lungs and spinal cord. Ms. Lucio struggled at times to provide for her family, but was a caring mother, who did her best given her incredibly difficult circumstances. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Selinas claims contradict the evidence presented in the case. She wasn't a perfect mother, but she made sure we were taken care of," he said. Lucio Successor Writ Application, at 136 (quoting David Thompsons Expert Report). They implied that if she did not confess, she wouldn't be allowed to attend Mariahs funeral. I am now convinced that the jury got it wrong and I know that there is too much doubt to execute Lucio. 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. CPS records used in the trial do not evidence that suggests Lucio was abusive. "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. , 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. 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. var tiktokscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; Lucio has 14 children and was pregnant with the youngest two when Mariah died. At the time, Lucio said, the toddler didn't appear to be hurt, ABC News reported, citing court records. Trial jurors, forensic experts, and Texas lawmakers push for Lucio's life to be spared ahead of her April 27 execution. She would be the first Latina to ever be executed in the state. But this can be detrimental because "a lot of trauma symptoms look like these behavioral cues of lying," Guarnera said. Melissa Lucios husband Roberto Antonio Alvarez testified in the case about the death of his daughter Mariah Alvarez. I dont want her to be executed, she says. It was later discovered that Mariahs arm had been broken two to seven weeks prior to her passing away. Lucio was convicted of killing her daughter, Mariah Alvarez, 15 years ago in . "She gets very emotional because no one believed her for so many years that she was innocent. In 2008, She was convicted of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding one of her sons, John. Greg Abbott to grant an execution reprieve or commute her sentence. 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. After several hours of interrogation, Lucio stated, "I guess I did it. His father, who survived, led the effort to save Whitaker, saying he would be victimized again if his son was executed. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Isla Bryson Husband: Is Isla Bryson Married? For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. 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.". In 2008 a Cameron County jury found Lucio guilty on one count of capital murder for causing the death of her daughter, Mariah Alvarez. As the interrogation dragged on, Lucio told detectives that she had hit Mariah in the past, but did not say she killed the little girl. [21] Lucio subsequently petitioned for clemency. RELATED: 5 Death Penalty Facts That Will Make You Want To Abolish It Now. Your IP: The medical examiner also testified at trial that a mark on Mariahs body were bite marks. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding her daughter Mariah. 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 daughters death. 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. 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. 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. RELATED: Oklahoma Gov. Without that context, the jury was undoubtedly swayed by Ms. Lucios statement and the Texas Rangers testimony about her demeanor during the interrogation. 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. Abbott and the Board of Pardons and Paroles. The local hospital declared the child dead. "I think there's this thought or belief that if we give up the accusatory, guilt-presumptive, coercive style of American interrogations, it'll have bad consequences and we won't be able to convict people," she said. Lucio, 40, of Harlingen was found guilty of capital murder for the death of her 21/2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. 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. Unable to be resuscitated, her daughter was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Ahead of the election, Mr. Villalobos sought to make an example in Ms. Lucios case, which helped him appear tough on crime. Today, the former district attorney is serving a 13-year federal prison sentence for bribery and extortion. [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. Lucio says she regrets the confession and her advocates suggest that. Experts said these conditions are all risk factors that make a person more likely to falsely confess. According to court documents, Melissa Lucio was born on June 18, 1969, in Lubbock, Texas. Many family members and supporters say the girl's . Lucio's lawyers say jurors never heard forensic evidence that would have explained that Mariah's various injuries were actually caused by a fall days earlier. 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. "There are already police departments around the world who have this more investigatory, fact-finding model," Guarnera said. Ms. Lucios execution for April 27, for a crime that never occurred. They used coercive methods known to produce false confessions. 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. 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.". But Ms. Lucios life is still in jeopardy. The parole board was scheduled to vote on Lucio's clemency petition two days before the execution. These conditions led her to be manipulated into admitting she caused her daughter's death despite Lucio asserting her innocence over 100 times throughout the interrogation, according to her lawyers. You know? Because of this, they decided to take her children and put them in foster care. Lucio's supporters have said her clemency request is similar in that her family would be retraumatized if she's executed. "https:" : "http:") + '//www.tiktok.com/embed.js'; [15], A 2011 appeal against the conviction was denied by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Performance & security by Cloudflare. She is scheduled to be executed by. Lucio is now fighting to stop her April 27 execution date. Selina says that Lucio was, not abusive to all of us. Paramedics were called to the Lucio home on February 17, 2007, as two-year-old Mariah was not breathing and was unresponsive. 89.44.32.192 "She was a good mother. Additionally, court documents state that the emergency room physician said he had not seen a case of child abuse worse than Mariah's. 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. She also claims three of her older siblings, who have largely stood by Lucio, were not around for the abuse and were living in a different home. This was an extremely common type of injury among toddlers that can result from a fall from standing height. AP At Ms. Lucios trial, the medical examiner testified that the bruises and injuries on Mariahs body could only have been caused by abuse. During the interrogation, Lucio claimed her innocence over 100 times before eventually saying, I guess I did it, when asked if she was responsible for Mariahs injuries. Following Mariah's death, Lucio was arrested and questioned for seven hours by Texas Ranger Victor Escalon without a lawyer present, and without receiving food or water. Questions over Mariah Alvarez's death and Lucio's role in it have lingered since the now-53-year-old mother was sentenced to death in 2008. "[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. Family photo via AP Read and share these key facts before Texas makes the irreversible mistake of killing an innocent woman. The brief states that Lucio's subdued behavior and acquiescence during interrogation were the result of prior trauma as a survivor of abuse. Nearly all proven false confession cases have the following three things in common: As soon as police officers encountered Ms. Lucio, they misclassified her response to the grief and shock of her daughters death as indicative of guilt. Her supporters say she was . The Innocence Project, a criminal justice reform nonprofit that aims to exonerate wrongly convicted persons using DNA and other evidence, joined Lucio's legal team soon after her execution was scheduled in January. Unfortunately for her, this is also around the time that she claims to have been sexually abused by her mothers boyfriend for two years starting at age seven. If we had heard passionately from the defense defending her in some way, we might have reached a different decision," juror Johnny Galvan wrote in an affidavit. So you respond to threats, you respond to violence, you respond to demands, you respond to the escalating voice by saying, 'Yes, yes, I'll do it,'" said Mindy Mechanic, a forensic psychologist and professor emeritus at California State University, Fullerton. "If you think about what's happening in an interrogation, that's a very parallel process.". 2023byTango Publishing Corporation All Rights Reserved. "I guess I did it," Lucio responded when asked if she was responsible for some of Mariah's injuries. "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. "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. All she had was us," she said. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. As her April 27 execution date nears, Lucio's lawyers are hopeful that new evidence, along with growing public support including from jurors who now doubt the conviction and from more than half the Texas House of Representatives will persuade the state's Board of Pardons and Paroles and Gov. A woman facing execution in Texas for killing her daughter is seeking clemency, claiming she was coerced into confessing to the crime. 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