Texas Supreme Court issues temporary stay of execution in Robert Roberson case

Roberson, 59, of Palestine, who was sentenced in 2003 for the 2002 loss of life of his younger daughter, was set to be put to loss of life Thursday. Roberson has lengthy claimed to be harmless, and has garnered the assist and advocacy of individuals throughout the nation who consider his conviction to have been unfounded, because it was claimed she died of shaken child syndrome, which has now been disproven; examiners now say she died of pneumonia.

Little time is left for these engaged on behalf of Roberson, believing he’s harmless based mostly on new info in his daughter’s reason behind loss of life, to realize clemency for him. That led these legislators to ask the Texas Supreme Courtroom to intervene on Roberson’s half. Governor Abbott has not weighed in, a minimum of publicly, at this level.

A Travis County choose had earlier Thursday issued a ruling to dam the execution of Roberson. This was the ruling the courtroom of appeals dominated towards at round 8 p.m. The execution warrant expires at midnight.

Rep. Jeff Leach, chairman of the Home Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence, subpoenaed Roberson in a bid to maintain him from being executed this week. The subpoena is relating to the brand new science behind so-called shaken child syndrome and different components within the case.

Decide Jessica Magrum of Travis County granted the request Thursday afternoon that Roberson may be subpoenaed to testify earlier than a panel of Texas legislators subsequent week, successfully urgent a pause button on Roberson’s execution on Thursday night time, although the legal professional common will enchantment.

Texas Division of Felony Justice Communications Director Amanda Hernandez confirmed to KLTV that so long as issues are nonetheless pending within the courtroom system, like this short-term restraining order as a result of subpoena, the execution is not going to happen Thursday. The execution warrant is sweet by means of midnight on Thursday, nevertheless.

Rep. Lacey Hull (R-Harris) and Rep. John Bucy (D-Williamson) had been on the jail Thursday night time, advocating for Roberson’s life to be spared.

Rep. John Bucy (D-Williamson)

Rep. Lacey Hull (R-Harris)

The subpoena Leach submitted follows:

Roberson’s legal professionals waited to see if Abbott would grant Roberson a one-time 30-day reprieve. It’s the one motion Abbott can take within the case because the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Wednesday denied Roberson’s clemency petition.

The board voted unanimously, 6-0, to not suggest that Roberson’s loss of life sentence be commuted to life in jail or that his execution be delayed. All members of the board are appointed by the governor. The parole board has really helpful clemency in a loss of life row case solely six occasions for the reason that state resumed executions in 1982.

In his almost 10 years as governor, Abbott has halted just one imminent execution, in 2018 when he spared the lifetime of Thomas Whitaker, whose father had requested that his son not be put to loss of life. The daddy had survived a taking pictures that Whitaker had masterminded, in keeping with the Related Press.

Because it stands at midnight on Thursday, Roberson will reside to reply the subpoena to seem earlier than the Texas Home on Monday, the place his case’s particulars in gentle of recent “junk science” wording which may be utilized to his case. Till then, he’s being taken again to Livingston to his loss of life row cell.

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