Judge recommends overturning Melissa Lucio’s death sentence

Could Melissa Lucio’s death sentence be overturned?

What a judge recommends.

She was convicted of killing her 2-year-old.

The story of Melissa Lucio, a Latina mother sentenced to death after being convicted of killing her two-year-old daughter in 2007, has taken an unexpected turn.

A judge recommended overturning her death sentence because the prosecution withheld crucial evidence.

Now, the case is in the hands of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which will determine whether Lucio will face a new trial.

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Could Melissa Lucio’s death sentence be overturned?

Photo: AP

A Texas judge recommended that Melissa Lucio’s sentence be overturned, according to EFE.

This happened after concluding that prosecutors did not share key evidence that could have contributed to her defense during the trial for the death of her two-year-old daughter in 2007.

Arturo Nelson, the judge who presided over the 2008 trial, issued the recommendation on Friday.

The Cameron County Prosecutor’s Office admitted that it withheld evidence that could have helped Lucio, who was convicted of beating and torturing to death her daughter Mariah Elizabeth Alvarez, the youngest of her 14 children.

What evidence was there against Melissa Lucio?

Photo: AP

Police found the little girl unconscious, with bruises and a broken arm when they responded to an emergency call on February 17, 2007.

The child was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead.

Lucio told police that her daughter fell down the stairs and that caused her death.

However, the prosecution did not believe her story and tried her for murder.

Could she be saved from the death penalty?

Photo: AP

It is now known that the testimony of five of Lucio’s children, who insisted that their mother did not abuse them or Mariah, was not shared with the defense.

One of the children told a Child Protective Services investigator that he saw Mariah fall down the stairs.

And he corroborated Lucio’s account of the girl’s injuries and deteriorating health in the days after the incident.

Prosecutors and Lucio’s lawyers reached an agreement, which was approved by Judge Nelson.

What did the agreement say?

Photo: AP

The agreement indicates that “she would not have been convicted in light of the suppressed evidence,” according to CNN.

The execution of Lucio, the first Latina to face capital punishment in Texas, was stayed two days before the scheduled date in April 2022.

Several members of the jury at her trial stated that if they had known all the evidence, they would have come to a different verdict.

Melissa Lucio’s case highlights the shortcomings and challenges of the legal system, especially when it comes to the death penalty.

Fighting for their mother’s freedom!

Photo: MundoNOW

Lucio’s children led the «Free Melissa Lucio» campaign, and they have tirelessly supported their mother for years, calling attention to her harsh sentence.

The case now remains in the hands of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which will determine whether Lucio will have to face a new trial.

Lucio’s case has become a cause célèbre among people, including Kim Kardashian.

The agreement on the conclusions of the Lucio case had remained in limbo for 16 months before another judge, Gabriela García, according to the AP.