[27] On April 17, 2022, in the main segment of another episode, called "Police Interrogations", Lucio's case was mentioned again as having every hallmark of a false confession.[28]. [25], A 2020 documentary by Sabrina Van Tassel titled The State of Texas vs. Melissa follows Lucio's case. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Mariah was Lucio's twelfth child. They were returned to Lucio three months before Mariahs death. Updated on March 25, 2022, 2:30 p.m. Alexander Molony Girlfriend: Who Is Alexander Molony Girlfriend? Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a134b9f398d2f98 If you have experienced sexual abuse and want to speak to someone, call the free and confidential National Sexual Assault hotline (1-800-656-HOPE or 1-800-656-4673). 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. The Rangers believed Lucio had killed Mariah on Feb. 17, 2007, saying that her unwillingness to make eye contact and her slumped shoulders were signs of guilt, according to a clemency petition filed on March 22. 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. Alexander Molony Children: Does Alexander Molony Have A Child? 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. Michelle Lucio, John's wife who knew Melissa Lucio prior to her conviction, recalled the conversations with her during their visits in prison. "She gets very emotional because no one believed her for so many years that she was innocent. In particular, the jury never learned about the extent of Ms. Lucios history of child sexual abuse and domestic violence and how it shaped her reactions immediately following her daughters death. Studies have shown that even trained forensic dentists cant agree whether or not an injury is a bite mark. Abraham Bonowitz, co-founder and director of anti-death penalty advocacy group Death Penalty Action, said he believes that filmmaker Sabrina Van Tassel's Hulu documentary, "The State of Texas vs. Melissa," which follows Lucio as she appeals her case, speaks to her innocence. "Our campaign is called Free Melissa Lucio because we don't want to just save her, we want her out," Bonowitz said. "I guess I did it," police say Lucio told them. Experts who have studied false confessions and trauma response said Lucio's behavior is common in abuse victims and criticized the Rangers' interrogation tactics. See additional information. Lucy Guarnera, an assistant professor at the University of Virginia who studies false confessions, said law enforcement often uses "behavioral lie detection" techniques that look at a person's actions to predetermine innocence or guilt. under such coercive conditions. The Free Melissa Lucio project has worked closely with John Lucio, Melissa Lucio's eldest son, as he advocates for his mother's exoneration. Lucio, who is an inmate on Texas death row, is set to be executed on Apr. [9][23] The Mexican Ambassador to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma, announced on April 22 that he sent a letter to Governor Abbott asking him to grant executive clemency to Lucio, as "Mexico has historically manifested an unwavering commitment in its opposition to the death penalty. She started abusing only my sister, Mariah.. On April 15, Ms. Lucios. 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. She had numerous bruises, bite marks on her back, pulled-out hair patches, and a broken arm. Lucio, 53, would be the first Latina executed by Texas and the first woman since 2014. The only person who abused my sister was my mother, Melissa Lucio, she claims in another video. 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. Hours after Mariah's death, Lucio was interrogated by police for over five hours, according to her lawyers. 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. It would send a message that innocence doesn't matter," said Vanessa Potkin, one of Lucio's attorneys who is with the Innocence Project. Mariah fell down a flight of stairs while the family was moving homes on Feb. 15, 2007. 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. They used coercive methods known to produce false confessions. 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. Photos: Melissa Lucio Daughter Mariah Alvarez Autopsy. Child Protective Services was present in the family's life, but there was never an accusation of abuse by any of her children, Potkin said. He is accused of neglecting to take his daughter to the doctor. On Feb. 8, attorneys for Ms. Lucio filed a motion to withdraw or modify her looming execution date, and on March 22, her legal team filed a petition for clemency to the governor and Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Her next partner, who was also abusive, repeatedly raped her, and threatened to kill her. Melissa Lucio holds her daughter Mariah. This was an extremely common type of injury among toddlers that can result from a fall from standing height. isYTTikTok = 0; "We promised #MelissaLucio and her family we'd do everything we can do to prevent this irreversible injustice from taking place later this month,"Leach wrote Thursday on Twitter. On February 17, 2007, paramedics were called to the Lucio residence because two-year-old Mariah was unresponsive and not breathing. 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. [4], Mariah Alvarez was born to Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez in September 2004. The medical examiner also testified at trial that a mark on Mariahs body were bite marks. 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. RELATED: Rumors Swirl That Kim Kardashian May Eventually Run For Office What A Kardashian Presidency Could Look Like. ", "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. Eighty-three Texas legislators from both sides of the aisle have signed a letter urging the governor and Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles to grant Ms. Lucio clemency. ", "Texas mother is set for execution as evidence suggests she did not kill her child", "I voted to sentence Melissa Lucio to death. Research has shown that survivors of sexual abuse and violence, like Ms. Lucio, are even more vulnerable to. Abbott and the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Because of this, they decided to take her children and put them in foster care. ET:This article has been updated to reflect the latest news in this case. Melissa Elizabeth Lucio, Texas. Abbott can grant a one-time, 30-day reprieve. hide caption. Family photo via AP His father, who survived, led the effort to save Whitaker, saying he would be victimized again if his son was executed. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Shes guilty of abusing my sister which led to the death of my sister. Click to reveal "Lucio still advances no evidence that is reliable and supportive of her acquittal," the office wrote in court documents last month. She is scheduled to be executed by. since Ms. Lucios trial because it has no scientific basis. At Ms. Lucios trial, the medical examiner testified that the bruises and injuries on Mariahs body could only have been caused by abuse. tiktokscr.parentNode.insertBefore(jsTikTok, tiktokscr); Melissa , a documentary set to be released in 2020, is based on her case. In late 2006 Lucio got back the other kids after three older kids went to live with their father in Houston. CPS records used in the trial do not evidence that suggests Lucio was abusive. 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. 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. Mariah was the twelfth child of Lucio. 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. However, Ms. Lucios husband perpetuated the cycle of abuse. , and a broken arm, Like Ms. Lucio, 53, would be the Latina... 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