Melissa E. Lucio has spent over a decade on death row in Texas for a crime she did not commit. She has maintained her innocence ever since she was arrested for the murder of her two-year-old daughter Mariah in 2007.

The primary evidence used in her conviction came from a seven hour coercive interrogation on the night of Mariah’s death. Her other children witnessed the accident which led to Mariah's injuries, but they were not called upon to testify in court. The prosecutor in her case is now serving a 13 year prison sentence for bribery.

A recent timeline:

On April 25, 2022, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued a stay of execution and ordered the 138th Judicial Court of Cameron County to consider the evidence of her innocence- a decision that came just two days before her scheduled execution.

News broke on April 5, 2024 that Luis Saenz, the District Attorney in Cameron County, Texas, got sick of waiting for a judge to sign the order on which he collaborated with defense attorneys, and released it to the news media. Here is one of multiple news stories. The order vacates Melissa's conviction and death sentence. It's been nearly two years since Melissa's execution was halted, and over 15 months that Melissa has been sitting on death row after the DA acknowledged that she should be freed. Once signed, the order still has to be upheld by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, so we will continue to maintain a low profile in the case for now. When there is more we can share, we will do so.

On April 12, 2024 the judge signed the order to vacate Melissa's conviction and death sentence, which now must be upheld by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

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