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. "When I walked in, she was not making eye contact with the investigator. 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. This was an extremely common type of injury among toddlers that can result from a fall from standing height. the youngest of her 12 children at the time Ms. Lucio was taken into police custody and immediately blamed for her daughters death. They look at who's the victim, what's the accused accused of doing? Daughter Of Woman Kim Kardashian Wants Saved From Death Row Claims Mom Abused Sister Before Her Death, Photo: Twitter / Instagram / Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock, Oklahoma Gov. "And we intend on keeping that promise.". The Texas Rangers did not respond to repeated phone calls and emails for comment about the case. Isla Bryson Husband: Is Isla Bryson Married? Lucio received the death penalty for the death of Mariah. Her young daughter Mariah died and had many injuries like bruises on her head kidneys lungs spinal cord and . New evidence suggests the death may have been an accident - and today, the Texas Board of Pardons . Trauma victims who dissociate may not fully grasp the severity of the situation they are in so "they're not going to be able to track and pay attention as carefully and this can make you potentially prone to accepting suggestions from officers," Guarnera said. Abbott can grant a one-time, 30-day reprieve. Lucio was addicted to cocaine and tested positive shortly after Mariah was born; this prompted authorities to place her children in foster care. She started abusing only my sister, Mariah.. 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. She was scheduled for execution on April 27, 2022. 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 was not evil. 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. Prosecutors, however, painted a different picture. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. The photos current inside and out . April 17 2022, 4:00 a.m. "Free Melissa . Melissa Lucio's daughter Mariah Alvarez's autopsy photos got released earlier, and the results are unconvincing to experts like Dr. Thomas Young. Many people accept that Lucio's case is a reasonable case of treason, while others accept that she deserved the sanctions. Lucio that her teenage daughter, Alexandra, may have been responsible for the bruises found on Mariahs body after her death. Melissa Lucios husband Roberto Antonio Alvarez testified in the case about the death of his daughter Mariah Alvarez. jsTikTok.type = 'text/javascript'; Selina recalls her mother excluding Mariah, keeping her separate from her other children on a number of occasions. The autopsy showed that Mariah also had a head injury and bruises on her kidneys lungs and spinal cord. 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. Liliana Segura, Jordan Smith. On February 17 2007 paramedics came to the Lucio home because two-year-old Mariah was not breathing and didnt respond. 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. "[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. Death Penalty Action started the Free Melissa Lucio project shortly after Lucio was notified of her execution date. Officers used powerfully manipulative techniques many of which rise to the level of risk factors for false confession to coerce Ms. Lucio to incriminate herself. Research has shown that survivors of sexual abuse and violence, like Ms. Lucio, are even more vulnerable to falsely confessing under such coercive conditions. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. HOUSTON During hours of relentless questioning, Melissa Lucio more than 100 times had denied fatally beating her 2-year-old daughter. "We've had her interrogation reviewed by leading experts in interrogation and false confessions. "Do it real hard," he said. They also claim that Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos had previously been accused of inadequately investigating over 100 claims of child abuse. Paramedics were called to the Lucio home on February 17, 2007, as two-year-old Mariah was not breathing and was unresponsive. She had her head down. The Lucio family went to the event to urge the governor to . isYTTikTok = 0; 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. [1][19], In August 2021, an amicus brief was filed on Lucio's behalf by a group consisting of legal scholars, experts on violence against women, and representatives from sixteen organizations that combat violence against women. "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. The death penalty is wrong. Guadalupe Lucio and Melissa Lucio had their first five children together when they were just 16 years old. Her young daughter Mariah died and had many injuries like bruises on her head kidneys lungs spinal cord and other places. Detectives by law are also not allowed to lie to suspects. RELATED: Oklahoma Gov. It was later discovered that Mariahs arm had been broken two to seven weeks prior to her passing away. 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. 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. Three jurors and one alternate in Lucio's trial have signed affidavits expressing doubts about her conviction. At Ms. Lucios trial, the medical examiner testified that the bruises and injuries on Mariahs body could only have been caused by abuse. . Only a barbaric people allow such depravity. "The Innocence Project recognized the urgency that an innocent woman was headed for execution," Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation for the organization, told ABC News. jsTikTok.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? His father, who survived, led the effort to save Whitaker, saying he would be victimized again if his son was executed. It would be an absolutely devastating message for this execution to go forward. 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. No physical evidence showed otherwise. [3] Lucio says she was sexually abused by her mother's boyfriend for about two years, beginning when she was seven years old. Advertisement : [emailprotected] Keep up with her Twitter for more. IE 11 is not supported. Lucio claimed Mariah had fallen down a flight of stairs two days prior and suffered the wounds. He also stated that Lucio's execution would be a terrible tragedy. Make sure everyone on Twitter knows her name: Tweet now, 10 datos que debes saber sobre esta mujer inocente que enfrenta su ejecucin. The parole board was scheduled to vote on Lucio's clemency petition two days before the execution. Lucio is now fighting to stop her April 27 execution date. 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. 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. [25], A 2020 documentary by Sabrina Van Tassel titled The State of Texas vs. Melissa follows Lucio's case. According to the Cameron County District Attorney's Office, Mariah was found at the home with signs of abuse on her body. Lawyers for Lucio deny those claims and say the bruising was a result of the fall. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. The autopsy also revealed that Mariah had suffered a head injury and bruises on her kidneys, lungs, and spinal cord. Family photo via AP On April 12, attorneys for Melissa filed a supplemental clemency application including a new declaration from a fifth juror Melissas jury foreperson who joins the calls of four other jurors and the alternate to halt Melissas pending execution or grant her a new trial where new evidence of her innocence can be considered. More are learning about Ms. Lucios case and advocating for her each day. 89.44.32.192 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. It played at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020, and won best documentary at the Raindance Film Festival. since Ms. Lucios trial because it has no scientific basis. 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). Melissa Lucio was born in Lubbock, Texas,[2] on June 18, 1969, according to court records. A woman facing execution in Texas for killing her daughter is seeking clemency, claiming she was coerced into confessing to the crime. 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. 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?" My moms sisters said that she would get a lesser sentence if we said we abused my sister, Selina adds. See additional information. . There is now evidence that all three of these things happened in Ms. Lucios case. 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. During her trial, those statements were presented to the jury as her confession. Lucio was convicted in the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah, and sentenced to be executed. Research has shown that survivors of sexual abuse and violence, like Ms. Lucio, are even more vulnerable to. Experts said these conditions are all risk factors that make a person more likely to falsely confess. [13], Lucios defense argued that Mariah's injuries were from falling down the stairs, and that Lucio's psychological functioning contributed to her conflicting reports given to authorities. She is now fighting to stop her April 27 execution. All she had was us," she said. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. 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