Texas mother on death row, supported by Kim Kardashian, is 'actually innocent' of murder, judge says
A death row inmate convicted of killing her toddler daughter is “actually innocent” of murder and should be freed from custody, the prisoner's trial judge said in documents unearthed on Thursday.
A death row inmate convicted of killing her toddler daughter is “actually innocent” of murder and should be freed from custody, the prisoner's trial judge said in documents unearthed on Thursday.
Cameron County District Court Judge Arturo Nelson is siding with the appeal of Melissa Elizabeth Lucio, 56, and said her "conviction and sentence of death should be vacated."
Lucio has "satisfied her burden and produced clear and convincing evidence that she is actually innocent of the offense of capital murder," Nelson wrote in court papers first reported on Thursday by NBC affiliate KPRC in Houston.
The case, which has gained notoriety through reality TV star and aspiring attorney Kim Kardashian, is now before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio holds one of her sons, John.Family photo via AP fileLucio was held responsible for her 2-year-old daughter Mariah's 2007 death in Harlingen, a city with about 71,000 residents on the far southern tip of Texas. Lucio has 13 surviving children.
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