Lawmakers cite new scientific evidence that they say proves Robert Roberson, who is set for execution on Oct. 17, did not kill his daughter.
Texas death row
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Robert Roberson
Texas’ highest criminal court declines to stop execution of man accused in shaken baby case
Lawyers for Robert Roberson say the science used to sentence him to death is questionable and that prior health issues could explain the death of his 2-year-old daughter in 2002.
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Criminal Justice
Texas executes Arthur Lee Burton for 1997 killing of Houston jogger
Burton was sentenced to death for killing Nancy Adleman, a mother of three, while she was jogging on a summer evening in Houston.
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Criminal Justice
When the science crumbles, Texas law says a conviction could, too. That rarely happens.
Texas’ 2013 law that allows for new trials in cases with flawed scientific evidence was pioneering. But the state’s highest criminal court has rejected most of those challenges.
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Criminal Justice
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Texas death row inmate’s petition
Reed, on death row for more than 25 years, says he is innocent of the 1996 killing of Stacey Stites in Bastrop County.
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Criminal Justice
Texas executes Ramiro Gonzales for 2001 murder
Gonzales, who was on death row for the rape and murder of Bridget Townsend in Medina County, is the second person to be executed in Texas this year.
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Criminal Justice
Texas criminal appeals court removes Tomas Gallo from death row because of his intellectual disability
The court re-sentenced Gallo to life in prison for the murder of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter.
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Criminal Justice
State district judge recommends overturning Melissa Lucio’s death sentence
In a rare joint statement, the district attorney and the defense agreed that prosecutors withheld evidence that could point to a Rio Grande Valley woman’s innocence in the death of her toddler.
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Criminal Justice
Texas criminal appeals court takes man off death row over intellectual disability
Since Randall Mays was sentenced to death in 2008 for the murder of two sheriff’s deputies, his lawyers have argued his intellectual disability exempts him from execution.
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Criminal Justice
Texas executes Ivan Cantu for Dallas murders despite doubts of his guilt
Faith leaders and jurors from the original trial launched a public campaign to reconsider recanted testimony in Cantu’s case. Texas courts declined.
