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 claims that starting when she was seven years old, her mothers boyfriend sexually abused her for approximately two years. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. 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. 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. 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. "You can see this in Melissa Lucio's case. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. 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.. Abbott must undertake a meaningful review of Ms. Lucios innocence claim, the coercive tactics used in her interrogation, and the tragic circumstances of Mariahs accidental death, before an irreversible injustice occurs. It was later discovered that Mariahs arm had been broken two to seven weeks prior to her passing away. It's like Cameron County prosecutor Alfredo Padilla said "the decision was based on evidence and evidence alone". According to The Marshall Project, Crain, who maintains her innocence, wrote that she had flashbacks to her abusive husband when she was being yelled at by a detective. But worn down from a lifetime of abuse and the grief of losing her daughter Mariah, her lawyers say, the Texas woman finally acquiesced to investigators. Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death, July 10, 2008, in Brownsville, Texas. According to Dr. Young, Melissa Lucio should not be executed because he believes she is innocent. 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. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding one of her sons, John. Click to reveal Melissa Lucio's daughter Mariah Alvarez's autopsy photos got released earlier, and the results are unconvincing to experts like Dr. Thomas Young. If we had heard passionately from the defense defending her in some way, we might have reached a different decision," juror Johnny Galvan wrote in an affidavit. Two days later, she took a nap and didnt wake up. Greg Abbott and the Board of Pardons and Paroles in March of this year, arguing an unreliable confession and "unscientific, false evidence that misled the jury into believing that Mariah Alvarez must have been killed by physical abuse, when the evidence is actually consistent with a conclusion that Mariah died from medical complications after a fall" based on the declarations of various experts. Alexander Molony Girlfriend: Who Is Alexander Molony Girlfriend? Ms. Lucio received a death penalty sentence and is appealing. [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]. They also say Lucio wasn't allowed to present evidence questioning the validity of her confession. ET:This article has been updated to reflect the latest news in this case. 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. 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. Mechanic agreed, describing dissociation as a coping mechanism. "I don't want to be in that room on April 27 to see her get executed," Michelle Lucio said. She was convicted of capital murder after the death of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, who was found to have scattered bruising in various stages of healing, as well as injuries to her head and contusions of the kidneys, lungs and spinal cord. She said she believes she falsely confessed in part because of a learned fear of violence. isYTTikTok = 0; Prosecutors said that Mariah's injuries were the result of physical abuse, while Lucio's attorneys say that her death was caused by a fall down the stairs two days prior. And that's as much as people want to know," he said. Here are 5 things to . The autopsy also revealed that Mariah had suffered a head injury and bruises on her kidneys, lungs, and spinal cord. She stated that he was often addicted to drugs and alcohol and was physically abusive. Melissa Lucio holds her daughter Mariah. 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. Prosecutors say Lucio fatally beat her 2-year-old daughter but Lucio has long denied that, saying Mariah died from injuries sustained during a fall down a flight of stairs. Call Gov. The detectives shouted at her, berated her for being a neglectful mother, and implied that if Mariah's death was not her fault then it had to have been one of her children, according to the petition. At Ms. Lucios trial, the medical examiner testified that the bruises and injuries on Mariahs body could only have been caused by abuse. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Whitaker was convicted of masterminding the fatal shootings of his mother and brother. 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. However, pathologists who have reviewed the evidence have concluded that this testimony was false. The interrogating officers refused to hear the truth: that Melissa did not, and would not, ever hurt her children. The only person who abused my sister was my mother, Melissa Lucio, she claims in another video. That's what crossed my mind. Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is set to be executed on April 27. An Innocence Project petition calling for a stop to Lucio's execution has surpassed its goal, having received over 185,000 signatures. Press "Enter" or click on the arrow to show results. The medical examiner also testified at trial that a mark on Mariahs body were bite marks. Guarnera said these are excellent tips to follow, but pointed out that detectives often do the opposite when they believe someone is a suspect and not a victim. Updated on March 25, 2022, 2:30 p.m. Photos: Melissa Lucio Daughter Mariah Alvarez Autopsy. Lucio says she regrets the confession and her advocates suggest that. Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez welcomed Mariah into the world in September 2004. He is accused of neglecting to take his daughter to the doctor. Lucio that her teenage daughter, Alexandra, may have been responsible for the bruises found on Mariahs body after her death. Lucio claimed that Alvarez had fallen down the stairs but it was quickly noted that Alvarez had suffered horrific abuse. "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. He then told Lucio that he would "help" her if she told him what he already knew. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. My moms sisters said that she would get a lesser sentence if we said we abused my sister, Selina adds. They used coercive methods known to produce false confessions. Melissa Lucio was first sentenced to death in 2008 for the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. She had scattered bruising, bite marks on her back, patches of hair that had been pulled out, and a broken arm. The detectives also handed Lucio a doll and asked her to demonstrate what happened, according to the petition. She was interrogated for five hours by armed police officers who reportedly berated her. pic.twitter.com/QZc5YyJZvo (@truecrimewitch) January 15, 2019 "https:" : "http:") + '//www.tiktok.com/embed.js'; The state argued that Lucio confessed to a pattern of abusing Mariah and to inflicting fatal blows to the . Eighty-three Texas representatives signed a letter asking that she be granted clemency. Read and share these key facts before Texas makes the irreversible mistake of killing an innocent woman. [25], A 2020 documentary by Sabrina Van Tassel titled The State of Texas vs. Melissa follows Lucio's case. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. At 6 years old, she was sexually assaulted by one of her mother's partners, her legal team said in the clemency petition. Two more children (twins) were born while she was imprisoned. The woman, Melissa Lucio, a mother of 14, was found guilty back in 2008 in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah. 89.44.32.192 Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death in Texas after she confessed to beating her 2-year-old daughter, who later died. This undated handout photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Melissa Lucio. Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez became parents to Mariah in September 2004. After several hours of interrogation, Ms. Lucio said, I guess I did it, and made other incriminating statements, to get the officers to end the interrogation. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. They found out that Mariahs arm had been broken two to seven weeks before she died. Court documents show that prosecutors argued at Lucio's trial that she had repeatedly abused Mariah and killed her by hitting her in the head. He continued by telling her, "We already know what happened". Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a134b9f398d2f98 Research has shown that survivors of sexual abuse and violence, like Ms. Lucio, are even more vulnerable to falsely confessing under such coercive conditions. They were returned to Lucio three months before Mariahs death. Paramedics were called and Lucio was quickly taken in for questioning about the death of her youngest child. Eighty-three Texas legislators from both sides of the aisle have signed a letter urging the governor and Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles to grant Ms. Lucio clemency. Guarnera said she believes a practice used by police in Europe, called the Peace model, would help people in situations similar to Lucio's. . Lucio regained custody of the other kids in late 2006 after three older kids moved in with their father in Houston. According to court documents, Melissa Lucio was born on June 18, 1969, in Lubbock, Texas. ", "Texas mother is set for execution as evidence suggests she did not kill her child", "I voted to sentence Melissa Lucio to death. As indicated by legal counsel at the Lucio Reassessment Watch group, Melissa is not at fault. Mariah Alvarez was born to Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez in September 2004. The application also states that the state medical examiner who performed Mariah's autopsy was told that Lucio admitted to abusing the girl and was accompanied by two of the interrogating officers during the autopsy. Lucio was found guilty of abusing and killing her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, in 2007. After the trial, in which the prosecution said that her daughter's injuries could have only been caused by abuse, Lucio was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death. 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. During the interrogation, officers berated and intimidated Ms. Lucio, who was pregnant and in shock from the loss of her child, for five hours. Lawyers for Lucio deny those claims and say the bruising was a result of the fall. Ms. Lucio has maintained her innocence on death row for more than 14 years. And 30 groups that work on behalf of the Latinx community in Texas have said they support clemency, too. "Our campaign is called Free Melissa Lucio because we don't want to just save her, we want her out," Bonowitz said. Melissa Lucios husband Roberto Antonio Alvarez testified in the case about the death of his daughter Mariah Alvarez. "And she was ashamed of what she did, and she had a hard time admitting to officers what had occurred. 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. These conditions led her to be manipulated into admitting she caused her daughter's death despite Lucio asserting her innocence over 100 times throughout the interrogation, according to her lawyers. During the interrogation, Lucio claimed her innocence over 100 times before eventually saying, I guess I did it, when asked if she was responsible for Mariahs injuries. Lucio was convicted in the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah, and sentenced to be executed. Three jurors and one alternate in Lucio's trial have signed affidavits expressing doubts about her conviction. Ahead of the election, Mr. Villalobos sought to make an example in Ms. Lucios case, which helped him appear tough on crime. Today, the former district attorney is serving a 13-year federal prison sentence for bribery and extortion. According to the Cameron County District Attorney's Office, Mariah was found at the home with signs of abuse on her body. Nearly all proven false confession cases have the following three things in common: As soon as police officers encountered Ms. Lucio, they misclassified her response to the grief and shock of her daughters death as indicative of guilt. When she was a toddler, the family moved to the Rio Grande Valley, where her mother had grown up, after her father passed away when she was still an infant. [14], Forensic pathologist Dr. Thomas Young, the former chief medical examiner in Kansas City, Missouri, reviewed the case at the request of Lucio's post-conviction attorney. Selina recalls her mother excluding Mariah, keeping her separate from her other children on a number of occasions. Many people accept that Lucio's case is a reasonable case of treason, while others accept that she deserved the sanctions. jsTikTok.async = true; "We've had her interrogation reviewed by leading experts in interrogation and false confessions. As a result, she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociation, according to her legal team. In the documentary, Alexandra does not recall these alleged confessions. Ms. Lucio struggled at times to provide for her family, but was a caring mother, who did her best given her incredibly difficult circumstances. The parole board was scheduled to vote on Lucio's clemency petition two days before the execution. "She was not evil. She is scheduled to be executed by. Studies have shown that even trained forensic dentists cant agree whether or not an injury is a bite mark. They also claim that Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos had previously been accused of inadequately investigating over 100 claims of child abuse. I was wrong", "I am sending a letter to Governor @GregAbbot_Tx", "Texas death row prisoner Melissa Lucio granted stay of execution", "Hulu Acquires U.S. Rights to Tribeca Documentary, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Melissa_Lucio&oldid=1139933110, Articles with failed verification from December 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 16:02. Experts said these conditions are all risk factors that make a person more likely to falsely confess. 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. Selina says that Lucio was, not abusive to all of us. [9] She was then told by Escalon: "Right now, it looks like you're a cold-blooded killer. The death penalty is wrong. On February 17 2007 paramedics came to the Lucio home because two-year-old Mariah was not breathing and didnt respond. The local hospital said the child had passed away. Mariah was the twelfth child of Lucio. At times, they were homeless and relied on food banks for meals, according to the petition. 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. "Mariah's death was a tragedy not a murder. [7] The child was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Lucio, born in Lubbock, Texas, endured years of abuse and violence, according to her attorneys. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Lucio, 53, would be the first Latina executed by Texas and the first woman since 2014. But worn down from a lifetime of abuse and the grief of. Melissa Elizabeth Lucio, Texas. A spokeswoman for Abbott's office did not return an email seeking comment. April 7, 2022, 9:13 AM, CDT Fourteen years ago, Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death for killing the youngest of her 12 children, Mariah, in Harlingen. Hundreds of anti-domestic violence/sexual assault organizations and 18 Texas exonerees have voiced support for clemency for Ms. Lucio. She allegedly suffered abuse by multiple partners that continued throughout her teenage years and into adulthood. Abbott and the Board of Pardons and Paroles. To date, over 100 bipartisan Texas lawmakers signed letters urging the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend clemency for Melissa. 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. New evidence suggests the death may have been an accident - and today, the Texas Board of Pardons . In 2019, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. At one point, a ranger got within inches of Lucio's face and said there was evidence that did not look good, the petition stated. It would send a message that innocence doesn't matter," said Vanessa Potkin, one of Lucio's attorneys who is with the Innocence Project. 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. Isla Bryson Parents: Who Are The Parents Of Isla Bryson? Three older children went to live in Houston with their father, and Lucio regained custody of the others in late 2006.[5]. The Innocence Project notes that Lucio was pregnant with twins at the time and was likely overwhelmed and grief-stricken after Mariahs death. [22], In April 2022, a juror on the trial, Johnny Galvan Jr., wrote in the Houston Chronicle that he had wrongly succumbed to peer pressure during deliberations and had changed his vote from a life sentence to the death penalty. 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. tiktokscr.parentNode.insertBefore(jsTikTok, tiktokscr); Her husband and Mariah's father, Robert Alvarez, was sentenced to four years in prison for child endangerment. The brief states that Lucio's subdued behavior and acquiescence during interrogation were the result of prior trauma as a survivor of abuse. Prosecutors say the now-53-year-old abused her daughter, Mariah, while Lucio maintains that her death was a result of injuries sustained from falling down a flight of stairs outside their Texas home. Ms. Lucio endured abuse throughout her childhood and into her teenage years. Hours after Melissa Lucio's 2-year-old daughter died in 2007, Texas Rangers took Lucio to an interrogation room where they yelled at her, threatened her and showed her pictures of her dead child, her attorneys said. Nearly 1 in 3 exonerated women were wrongly convicted of harming children or other loved ones in their care and over 70% were wrongly convicted of crimes that never took place at all events that were accidents, deaths by suicide, or fabricated according to data from the National Registry of Exonerations. Later on, Lucio had seven children with Robert Alvarez. While she was in prison she gave birth to twins which made a total of four children. if(isYTTikTok == 1){ Website by MADEO. Ms. Lucio is a survivor of life-long, repeated sexual assault and domestic violence. 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. In the 2020 documentary "The State of Texas vs. Melissa," Lucio said investigators kept pushing her to say she had hurt Mariah. Shortly after Mariah was born, Lucio tested positive for cocaine use; as a result, authorities decided to place her children in foster care. Lucio received the death penalty for the death of Mariah. 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. Email: [emailprotected] Lucio is seeking clemency as her April 27 execution date approaches. [4], Mariah Alvarez was born to Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez in September 2004. 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. The photos current inside and out . Michelle Lucio, John's wife who knew Melissa Lucio prior to her conviction, recalled the conversations with her during their visits in prison. We speak to one of Lucio's attorneys . On April 15, Ms. Lucios. She would be the first Latina to ever be executed in the state. The autopsy showed that Mariah also had a head injury and bruises on her kidneys lungs and spinal cord. "I guess I did it," police say Lucio told them. 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.". , 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 shock and grieving the loss of her baby. 27, 2022 for the 2007 death of Mariah. On Wednesday, they visited Lucio at Mountain View Unit in Gatesville. Former Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos, who was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison in 2014 for extortion in a case unrelated to Lucio's, described this statement as a confession during the trial. 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