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A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers has come out in support of a mother on death row for killing her daughter, asking that the woman’s execution be delayed or canceled due to “new evidence.”
The 83 Texas legislators signed a letter in support of Melissa Lucio, who is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on April 27 for the death of her toddler daughter, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
The two-year-old girl, Mariah, died from blunt force trauma in 2007, reports the Texas Tribune.
Lucio was questioned by cops after investigators discovered a bite mark along with scratches and bruises on the girl’s body.
During police interrogation, Lucio admitted to biting and spanking Mariah. Cameron County prosecutors used that statement to secure a conviction even though the mother of 14 children insisted the death was an accident.
In their letter, 83 Republican and Democrat members of the Texas House of Representatives asked the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to consider “new evidence” that shows a crime was never committed.
“Mariah died after a tragic accident rather than an intentional capital murder,” the letter states without specifying what the new evidence is. “Ms. Lucio’s case is one that gives even the strongest death penalty proponents among us pause.”
The Innocence Project of Texas, part of Lucio’s defense team, claims Mariah fell down the stairs a few days before her death at the family’s Harlingen, Texas apartment.
Lawmakers cite the sentencing disparities between Lucio and her husband, who also went to prison after Mariah’s death.
“Unlike Ms. Lucio, who had no documented history of violence towards her children, her husband had a history of assaultive behavior but is now a free man after serving a four-year sentence for child endangerment,” write the politicians.
Lucio’s remaining children, including twins who were born while she was in jail, have been sent to live with relatives or placed in child protective services, according to the Texas Tribune. One of her sons spoke at a rally in Austin over the weekend, asking for clemency.
“She’s a great mother. She’s not a perfect mother. We all have imperfections. Half of me believes that she’s already saved, but then there’s also that other half that is scary still,” her son John told KXAN.
If the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles agrees to a stay of execution or a different sentence, it would still be up to Gov. Greg Abbott to accept the recommendation. The governor can also delay an execution for 30 days without a recommendation by the parole board.
If executed, Lucio would be the first Hispanic woman to be put to death by Texas.
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