There are growing calls on Texas Governor Greg Abbot to grant clemency to Melissa Lucio who faces execution later this month. A juror, Kim Kardashian, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers are among those pleading for Lucio’s life.
The 53-year-old domestic violence victim and mother of 14 has been on death row since her trial over the 2007 death of her two-year-old daughter.
Her lawyers argue she “falsely” admitted to killing Mariah after hours of intense police questioning and that she died from falling down a steep staircase outside their apartment in Harlingen, South Texas, and not from being beaten.
Lucio was worn down by her grief and being abused throughout her life during the aggressive interrogation and finally admitted to a crime she didn’t commit, her lawyers say.
On 18 October, the US Supreme Court denied a petition to hear Lucio’s case, paving the way for the state of Texas to set the date for her execution — to be carried out by lethal injection on 27 April.
Writing for The Independent, an expert in false confessions says Texas is executing an innocent woman in one of the most tragic cases they have seen in their career.
On Wednesday, seven Texas legislators visited Lucio in prison and prayed with her, pledging to save her from execution.
