Melissa Lucio has spent the last 15 years on death row after she was convicted of capital murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah. . Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Melissa Lucio's daughter Mariah Alvarez's autopsy photos got released earlier, and the results are unconvincing to experts like Dr. Thomas Young. Lucio's second-oldest daughter, 20 at the time of Mariah's death, said she told police and Lucio's lawyers that her 15-year-old sister would abuse Mariah when their parents weren't around . Shortly after Mariah was born, Lucio tested positive for cocaine use; as a result, authorities decided to place her children in foster care. Melissa Lucio, only Latina on Texas death row, seeks clemency as execution looms. Isla Bryson Children: Does Isla Bryson Have Children. Her execution is set to take place on April 27. She is scheduled to be executed by. RELATED: Rumors Swirl That Kim Kardashian May Eventually Run For Office What A Kardashian Presidency Could Look Like. 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. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a134b9f398d2f98 He also stated that Lucio's execution would be a terrible tragedy. More are learning about Ms. Lucios case and advocating for her each day. 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. The International Association of Chiefs of Police, a Virginia-based association for police leaders, has a guide on the best practices law enforcement should follow for successful trauma-informed interviewing. Child Protective Services had previously investigated Lucio for allegations of child neglect, and they reported that Lucio's youngest children were often left in the care of their teenaged siblings. Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. The tragic incident that took away a young life happened in her own house. At 6 years old, she was sexually assaulted by one of her mother's partners, her legal team said in the clemency petition. "There are already police departments around the world who have this more investigatory, fact-finding model," Guarnera said. 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. Calls are growing for Texas to stop the approaching execution of Melissa Lucio, who says she was wrongfully convicted of killing her toddler Mariah in 2007. Lucio told police Mariah fell asleep and did not wake up. The Cameron County District Attorney's Office, which prosecuted Lucio, declined to comment. Mariah fell down a flight of stairs while the family was moving homes on Feb. 15, 2007. Two more children (twins) were born while she was imprisoned. Advertisement : [emailprotected] [1] Lucio's execution was set for April 27, 2022, but an appeals court granted her a stay on April 25, 2022. The medical examiner also testified at trial that a mark on Mariahs body were bite marks. "She gets very emotional because no one believed her for so many years that she was innocent. As experts explain, particularly when wielded by male police officers the type of interrogation used against Ms. Lucio simply recapitulates the psychodynamics of domestic abuse. So, it makes sense that women, like Ms. Lucio, who learned to survive domestic abuse by accommodating and conforming to the wishes of the violent partner will likewise accommodate and conform to the demands of a threatening, armed male police officer in the interrogation room. 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. They also say Lucio wasn't allowed to present evidence questioning the validity of her confession. "You can see this in Melissa Lucio's case. In a now-deleted tweet, Kardashian described the crime as a tragic accident. However, some of Lucios children have spoken out, insisting that their mother is guilty. 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. However, the case of Melissa Lucio, who murdered her daughter after years of abuse, has sparked more debate than ever before. Lucio said Mariah fell down the stairs two days ago and got hurt. Selina believes her mother is guilty. Yara Shahidi children: Does Yara Shahidi have children? She had scattered bruising, bite marks on her back, patches of hair that had been pulled out, and a broken arm. She has maintained her innocence, and Cornell Law School professor Sandra Babcock has called the prosecution "by far the weakest capital case I've ever seen". Her dad passed away when she was a baby so her family moved to the Rio Grande Valley where her mother grew up when she was still a little kid. Lucios lawyers say that Mariahs death was due to falling down the stairs but prosecutors say that Mariahs injuries were from someone hitting or hurting her. And experts who have reviewed Ms. Lucios case, including her interrogation records, have concluded that Ms. Lucio was relentlessly pressured and extensively manipulated during the interrogation. But this can be detrimental because "a lot of trauma symptoms look like these behavioral cues of lying," Guarnera said. [13], Lucios defense argued that Mariah's injuries were from falling down the stairs, and that Lucio's psychological functioning contributed to her conflicting reports given to authorities. The jury was deprived of key evidence to weigh: that is the point.. The Texas Rangers did not respond to repeated phone calls and emails for comment about the case. Photos: Melissa Lucio Daughter, Mariah Alvarez Autopsy In the U.S. state of Texas, Melissa Lucio is the first woman of Hispanic descent to receive a death sentence. They also argued that a judge's order to exclude expert testimony on the effects of trauma had "deprived Melissa of the only means she had of explaining that, notwithstanding her demeanor and self-incriminating statements, she was innocent of her daughter's murder. In a 2010 affidavit, one of Lucios sisters claimed to remember a different conversation in which Alexandra admitted to punching Mariah out of resentment for having to care for her while Lucio and her husband did drugs. Lucio then had seven children with Robert Alvarez. 11 Strict Rules That Elon Musk Makes His Girlfriends & Wives Follow, Justin Bieber Suspected As The Father Of Kourtney Kardashian's Son Reign (Instead Of Scott Disick), Why Kate Moss Was 'Scared' & 'Couldn't Get Out Of Bed For Weeks' After Working With Mark Wahlberg. 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.". Melissa Lucio is where she needs to be locked up behind bars for the death of her 2 year old daughter Mariah Alvarez. IE 11 is not supported. "She was a good mother. Paramedics were called and Lucio was quickly taken in for questioning about the death of her youngest child. } In shock and grieving the loss of her baby the youngest of her 12 children at the time Ms. Lucio was taken into police custody and immediately blamed for her daughter's death. Unfortunately for her, this is also around the time that she claims to have been sexually abused by her mothers boyfriend for two years starting at age seven. Michelle Lucio, John's wife who knew Melissa Lucio prior to her conviction, recalled the conversations with her during their visits in prison. Lucio's supporters have said her clemency request is similar in that her family would be retraumatized if she's executed. Experts who have studied false confessions and trauma response said Lucio's behavior is common in abuse victims and criticized the Rangers' interrogation tactics. "The ask is very specific. Studies have shown that even trained forensic dentists cant agree whether or not an injury is a bite mark. Lucio said that Mariah had fallen down a steep staircase during the family's move to a new apartment two days prior, but did not appear seriously injured, according to court records. Lucio says she regrets the confession and her advocates suggest that. In a letter last month to the Board of Pardons and Paroles and to Abbott, 83 Texas House members said executing Lucio would be "a miscarriage of justice.". Without that context, the jury was undoubtedly swayed by Ms. Lucios statement and the Texas Rangers testimony about her demeanor during the interrogation. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding one of her sons, John. Isla Bryson Husband: Is Isla Bryson Married? Detectives by law are also not allowed to lie to suspects. Lucio had been sexually assaulted multiple times, starting at age 6, and had been physically and emotionally abused by two husbands. All Rights Reserved. Research has shown that survivors of sexual abuse and violence, like Ms. Lucio, are even more vulnerable to falsely confessing under such coercive conditions. Lucio has said that her daughter who had a condition that caused her foot to be turned in fell down a flight of outdoor stairs as the family was preparing to move to a new apartment. She died two days later. Ms. Lucios execution for April 27, for a crime that never occurred. According to documents filed in the Texas Criminal Court Of Appeals in 2011, the children were found in unsafe conditions with scratches and insect bites. The U.S. Supreme Court in October declined to review a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that upheld her conviction, paving the way for her execution. Three older children went to live in Houston with their father, and Lucio regained custody of the others in late 2006.[5]. Hours after Mariah's death, Lucio was interrogated by police for over five hours, according to her lawyers. Lucio's legal team submitted an application for clemency to Texas Gov. Following Mariah's death, Lucio was arrested and questioned for seven hours by Texas Ranger Victor Escalon without a lawyer present, and without receiving food or water. Child Protective Services was present in the family's life, but there was never an accusation of abuse by any of her children, Potkin said. Lucio regained custody of the other kids in late 2006 after three older kids moved in with their father in Houston. 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