Stay of Execution in Texas

⚖️ A Texas court of appeals granted a stay of execution yesterday for Melissa Lucio, 53, who was set to die via lethal injection tomorrow on a charge of capital murder over the death of her two-year-old daughter Mariah in 2007.

• Lucio, her family and her attorneys say she was wrongfully convicted, pointing to new evidence they claim shows Mariah died from falling down the stairs.
• Prosecutors at her original trial said Lucio physically abused the toddler, who had bruises on her body, signs of a head injury, and an untreated broken arm when she died.
• Five jurors in the initial case now say they have "grave concerns about evidence withheld from them" and support relief, according to Lucio’s lawyers, who claim the medical examiner provided false testimony.
• A number of high-profile celebrities and criminal justice advocates have voiced their support for Lucio in recent weeks, including a bipartisan majority of the Texas House of Representatives.
• The case now heads back to the trial court to review Lucio’s claims that her execution should be stopped, including her assertions of new scientific evidence proving her innocence.

🇺🇸 Zoom out: The death penalty is currently legal in 27 states and American Samoa, and can also be administered by the military and federal government. The overall number of executions in the US in modern times peaked at 98 in 1999, and has fallen somewhat steadily ever since; just 11 people were put to death last year, the lowest total in 30 years.

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