A last-minute decision by a Texas judge has halted the execution of Robert Roberson, who was convicted in a highly contested case of shaken baby syndrome. This would have been the first execution in the US related to the syndrome. Roberson has consistently maintained his innocence, with experts questioning the evidence used against him. The last-minute pause to the execution has brought relief to those who believe that Roberson is innocent and that his sentence would have been a miscarriage of justice.
The case revolves around the death of Roberson’s two-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, back in 2002. Prosecutors claimed she died from shaken baby syndrome, but critics argue that the diagnosis is based on outdated science and doubt its accuracy. Medical experts have suggested that Curtis may have died of complications from pneumonia rather than abuse by Roberson.
Texas lawmakers, including conservative lawmakers, criminal justice reform advocates, and medical officials, have raised concerns about Roberson’s guilt. His lawyers have also argued that his autism was misconstrued as a lack of emotion after Curtis’s death. Despite the rejection of his clemency bid by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and the denial of a stay by the US Supreme Court, the execution was halted last Thursday by a committee in the Texas House of Representatives.
Roberson was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas, a method that is a subject of ongoing debate in the US due to concerns about causing unnecessary suffering. A recent poll showed that while a majority of Americans support the death penalty for murder convictions, many believe it is unfairly applied.
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