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. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. "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. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. 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. 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, 53, would be the first Latina executed by Texas and the first woman since 2014. A psychologist who reviewed recent testing of Melissa said that Melissa has highly abnormal levels of vulnerability to police coercion because of her background. 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. 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. Updated on March 25, 2022, 2:30 p.m. 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. 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. In the 2020 documentary "The State of Texas vs. Melissa," Lucio said investigators kept pushing her to say she had hurt Mariah. Police contaminate the persons statement meaning they feed the innocent person crime facts or a specific narrative of guilt. 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. Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is set to be executed on April 27. The only person who abused my sister was my mother, Melissa Lucio, she claims in another video. 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. Ms. Lucio, who was given the death penalty, is filing an appeal. } There is now evidence that all three of these things happened in Ms. Lucios case. Later on, Lucio had seven children with Robert Alvarez. Still a minor and unable to leave the abusive marriage, Ms. Lucio was trapped and developed a substance use problem. Ms. Lucios execution for April 27, for a crime that never occurred. Guadalupe Lucio and Melissa Lucio had their first five children together when they were just 16 years old. [6][failed verification] According to Lucio, Mariah had sustained the injuries when she fell down a flight of stairs two days earlier. "The ask is very specific. 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. 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. Child Protective Services found that Lucios younger children were often left with their older siblings during a previous investigation into her for neglecting her children. The Cameron Countys new district attorney, the courts, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, and Gov. Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez became parents to Mariah in September 2004. "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. 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.". A woman facing execution in Texas for killing her daughter is seeking clemency, claiming she was coerced into confessing to the crime. 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. "When I walked in, she was not making eye contact with the investigator. 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. 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. 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 . 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. She said that her boyfriend was often violent and used drugs and alcohol. I believe that she should be in prison. As indicated by legal counsel at the Lucio Reassessment Watch group, Melissa is not at fault. She has maintained her innocence, and Cornell Law School professor Sandra Babcock has called the prosecution "by far the weakest capital case I've ever seen". In the documentary, Alexandra does not recall these alleged confessions. The state argued that Lucio confessed to a pattern of abusing Mariah and to inflicting fatal blows to the . Web: www.ghgossip.com, About Us Contact Advertise Privacy Policy, Get To Know Neil Wagner: Biography, Age, Career, Net Worth, Height, Relationship & More. 2023byTango Publishing Corporation All Rights Reserved. It was later discovered that Mariahs arm had been broken two to seven weeks prior to her passing away. At the time, Lucio said, the toddler didn't appear to be hurt, ABC News reported, citing court records. tiktokscr.parentNode.insertBefore(jsTikTok, tiktokscr); He then told Lucio that he would "help" her if she told him what he already knew. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding her daughter Mariah. Was her child's death really a murder? The Innocence Project notes that Lucio was pregnant with twins at the time and was likely overwhelmed and grief-stricken after Mariahs death. 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 holds her daughter Mariah. During her interrogation, Ms. Lucio asserted her innocence more than 100 times, until she was manipulated into falsely taking responsibility for some of Mariahs injuries by police officers. 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.". Here are 5 things to . She claims bruises found on Mariahs body were consistent with rings her mother would wear. 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. Alexander Molony Girlfriend: Who Is Alexander Molony Girlfriend? The death penalty is wrong. Lucio, who is an inmate on Texas death row, is set to be executed on Apr. She says she was coerced to confess by a Texas Ranger during her interrogation. isYTTikTok = 0; It would send a message that innocence doesn't matter," said Vanessa Potkin, one of Lucio's attorneys who is with the Innocence Project. You can also receive help via online.rainn.org, which is available 24/7. Isla Bryson Husband: Is Isla Bryson Married? We're asking the governor and Board of Pardons and Paroles and the district attorney, which are the three [political] entities that can do something about this, to watch the filmbecause we believe anybody that watches this film will come away at least with doubt if not being convinced of Melissa's innocence," Bonowitz said. 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. The local hospital said the child had passed away. 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. So right there and then, I knew she did something," he said. Details about what allegedly happened in the interrogation room were also outlined in the clemency petition. "She was a good mother. Thousands of pages of Child Protective Services records show that Ms. Lucios 12 children never said she was violent with them and no case workers noted signs of abuse. [1] Lucio's execution was set for April 27, 2022, but an appeals court granted her a stay on April 25, 2022. Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 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. 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. A mitigation specialist at trial named Norma Villanueva claims that Alexandra admitted during a family meeting in June 2008 that she was the reason Mariah fell down the stairs.. 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. Her lawyers say this lifelong trauma made her susceptible to giving a false confession. 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. As noted in the appeals court opinion document, one of the investigators described Lucio's behavior. 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. However, the case of Melissa Lucio, who murdered her daughter after years of abuse, has sparked more debate than ever before. said, adding that an emergency room doctor said it was the "absolute worst" case of child abuse. window.addEventListener('scroll', function() { 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. Melissa Lucio was first sentenced to death in 2008 for the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. And 30 groups that work on behalf of the Latinx community in Texas have said they support clemency, too. "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. [8] She admitted to having spanked Mariah, but denied ever having abused her, which she repeated more than 100 times. , 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. In this case, Melissa Lucio, Mariahs mother, was found guilty of capital murder. The district attorney's office said in a statement to the Brownsville Herald that Mariah had been "severely beaten," had "bruises in various states of healing covering her body" and had missing portions of her hair. Five of Lucios children were not living with her at the time of Mariah's death. 03/23/2022 by Anne Tyler Melissa Lucio, a middle-aged mother, was sentenced to death for allegedly killing her two-year-old son. 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 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 daughter's death. Her dad passed away when she was a baby so her family moved to the Rio Grande Valley where her mother grew up when she was still a little kid. And that's as much as people want to know," he said. RELATED: 5 Death Penalty Facts That Will Make You Want To Abolish It Now. Call Gov. [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]. "Her autopsy revealed bruised kidneys, a bruised spinal cord and bruised lungs," the D.A. Lucio had been sexually assaulted multiple times, starting at age 6, and had been physically and emotionally abused by two husbands. Keller, P.J., joined except for points 4 and 11, in which she concurs. They look at who's the victim, what's the accused accused of doing? Photos: Melissa Lucio Daughter Mariah Alvarez Autopsy Melissa Lucio is the first Hispanic woman to receive a death sentence in the state of Texas. Lucios lawyers say that Mariahs death was due to falling down the stairs but prosecutors say that Mariahs injuries were from someone hitting or hurting her. The toddler had a mild physical disability that made her unstable while walking and prone to tripping. The hourslong interrogation ended with Lucio being coerced into confessing, her legal team has said, arguing that her past experiences with physical abuse and sexual assault made her susceptible to taking responsibility for her daughter's death even though, they said, she was innocent. On Wednesday, they visited Lucio at Mountain View Unit in Gatesville. 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. Guadalupe Lucio and Melissa Lucio had their first five children together when they were just 16 years old with their youngest daughter Lucio being the most recent addition. "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. [7] The child was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Lucios defense team has pointed out many issues in the case that suggest Lucio never got a fair trial. I have never seen a more troubling case than the case of Melissa Lucio," said state Rep. Jeff Leach, who signed the letter. Shanda Crain, who was convicted of killing her parents in 1995 in Washington Parish, Louisiana, said in an academic paper that she found similarities between her case and Lucio's. 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. 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. I dont want her to be executed, she says. Lucio says she regrets the confession and her advocates suggest that police and prosecutors were wrong to assume that she was the only one in the home capable of abusing Mariah. On February 17, 2007, paramedics were called to the Lucio residence because two-year-old Mariah was unresponsive and not breathing. She was just struggling. Updated on April 18, 2022, 7:30 p.m. Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Lucio was convicted of killing her daughter, Mariah Alvarez, 15 years ago in . "We've had her interrogation reviewed by leading experts in interrogation and false confessions. Abbott and the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Many people accept that Lucio's case is a reasonable case of treason, while others accept that she deserved the sanctions. Mariahs autopsy showed signs of a blood coagulation disorder, which causes profuse bruising throughout the body. Now, are you a cold-blooded killer or were you a frustrated mother who just took it out on [Mariah]?" The husband of Melissa Lucio, Roberto Antonio Alvarez, is known to have testified in the case involving the death of his daughter, Mariah Alvarez. "What am I going to say? Thank you for visiting us. Ms. Lucio endured abuse throughout her childhood and into her teenage years. Ms. Lucio received a death penalty sentence and is appealing. The Free Melissa Lucio project has worked closely with John Lucio, Melissa Lucio's eldest son, as he advocates for his mother's exoneration. 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. jsTikTok.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? I'm responsible. Instead of taking the steps to learn about Mariahs health history and investigating the causes of her injuries, authorities immediately jumped to the conclusion that she had been murdered and, through a coercive interrogation, pressured Ms. Lucio to make a false statement. But Ms. Lucios life is still in jeopardy. "[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. "This is a woman who has a history of being threatened, being yelled at," she said. The tragic incident that took away a young life happened in her own house. Melissa Lucio is where she needs to be locked up behind bars for the death of her 2 year old daughter Mariah Alvarez. The project's petition, asking Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz to rescind the execution, has received over 44,000 signatures. 16th Street, 2nd Avenue, Batsona Community 18 During the interrogation, officers berated and intimidated Ms. Lucio, who was pregnant and in shock from the loss of her child, for five hours. 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. They also claim that Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos had previously been accused of inadequately investigating over 100 claims of child abuse. More are learning about Ms. Lucios case and advocating for her each day. Lucio regained custody of the other kids in late 2006 after three older kids moved in with their father in Houston. 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. They also argued that a judge's order to exclude expert testimony on the effects of trauma had "deprived Melissa of the only means she had of explaining that, notwithstanding her demeanor and self-incriminating statements, she was innocent of her daughter's murder. Tema, Ghana, Phone: +233 24 137 5919 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. 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. the youngest of her 12 children at the time Ms. Lucio was taken into police custody and immediately blamed for her daughters death. 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). Lucio is now fighting to stop her April 27 execution date. Texas lawmakers push for clemency or reprieve for Melissa Lucio, woman on death row accused of killing her child . 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. It stated that Lucio, who was pregnant with twins, was questioned by two armed detectives for more than five hours. 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. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Grants Clemency To Julius Jones Hours Before Scheduled Execution Amid Public Pressure. Prosecutors, however, painted a different picture. 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