Her husband later abandoned her and their five children. Selina recalls her mother excluding Mariah, keeping her separate from her other children on a number of occasions. Melissa Lucio Mariahs mother was found guilty of capital murder. 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. "People generally confess falsely to get out of the interrogation room," Guarnera said. The district attorney's office said in a statement to the Brownsville Herald that Mariah had been "severely beaten," had "bruises in various states of healing covering her body" and had missing portions of her hair. It played at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020, and won best documentary at the Raindance Film Festival. After several hours of interrogation, Lucio stated, "I guess I did it. Detectives by law are also not allowed to lie to suspects. Later on, Lucio had seven children with Robert Alvarez. Her father died when she was an infant, and the family moved to the Rio Grande Valley, where her mother had grown up, when she was a toddler. Lucio, sentenced to death for killing her daughter, maintains her innocence. Isla Bryson Children: Does Isla Bryson Have Children. After Mariah was born authorities found out that Lucio had taken cocaine. under such coercive conditions. HOUSTON During hours of relentless questioning, Melissa Lucio more than 100 times had denied fatally beating her 2-year-old daughter. Melissa , a documentary set to be released in 2020, is based on her case. She kind of just regurgitates it back, she says the same thing as they said to her because that's the easiest way out," she explained. She says in another video that she never witnessed physical abuse, only her mother pinching Mariah or excluding her but says she later became aware that other physical abuse was happening. The detectives shouted at her, berated her for being a neglectful mother, and implied that if Mariah's death was not her fault then it had to have been one of her children, according to the petition. Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death, July 10, 2008, in Brownsville, Texas. Research has shown that survivors of sexual abuse and violence, like Ms. Lucio, are even more vulnerable to falsely confessing under such coercive conditions. Your IP: She said she believes she falsely confessed in part because of a learned fear of violence. The omission of this crucial evidence was particularly damaging because the prosecution had a weak case for capital murder, and an even weaker case for a death sentence. April 17 2022, 4:00 a.m. "Free Melissa . Prosecutors said that Mariah's injuries were the result of physical abuse, while Lucio's attorneys say that her death was caused by a fall down the stairs two days prior. Did OJ Simpson's Son Jason Kill Nicole Brown & Ron Goldman? As two experts on false confessions have determined, due to the officers tactics and Ms. Lucios vulnerability, her incriminating statements are not a reliable confession of her guilt, but rather are a regurgitation of information relayed to her from investigators throughout the interrogation.. Eighty-three Texas representatives signed a letter asking that she be granted clemency. She also spoke in one of her sisters TikToks and claimed that blame was placed on her in an attempt to free Lucio. "Her autopsy revealed bruised kidneys, a bruised spinal cord and bruised lungs," the D.A. In the Hulu documentary, Melissa Lucio implies that her daughter Alexandra was responsible for Mariah's death. Her lawyers say Lucio's sentence was disproportionate to what her husband and Mariah's father, Robert Alvarez, received. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a134b9f398d2f98 She also claims three of her older siblings, who have largely stood by Lucio, were not around for the abuse and were living in a different home. The interrogating officers refused to hear the truth: that Melissa did not, and would not, ever hurt her children. Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez welcomed Mariah into the world in September 2004. Instead, those fighting for Lucio to be granted clemency claim she is a survivor of child physical and sexual abuse who was coerced into confessing to Mariahs murder. The death penalty is wrong. It was later discovered that Mariahs arm had been broken two to seven weeks prior to her passing away. She is now fighting to stop her April 27 execution. Detectives rushed to judgment and, just two hours after Mariah died, took Ms. Lucio in for questioning. Lucio, 40, of Harlingen was found guilty of capital murder for the death of her 21/2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. On the other hand, her lawyers have been claiming that she was wrongfully convicted of beating her own child. Mariah fell down a flight of stairs while the family was moving homes on Feb. 15, 2007. Read and share these key facts before Texas makes the irreversible mistake of killing an innocent woman. During her interrogation, Ms. Lucio asserted her innocence more than 100 times, until she was manipulated into falsely taking responsibility for some of Mariahs injuries by police officers. In a previous investigation into Lucio for alleged child neglect, Child Protective Services found that his youngest kids were frequently left in the care of their older, teenage siblings. The Cameron Countys new district attorney, the courts, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, and Gov. At Ms. Lucios trial, the medical examiner testified that the bruises and injuries on Mariahs body could only have been caused by abuse. Paramedics were called to Melissa Lucio's home in Harlingen, Texas, on Feb. 17, 2007, after her 2-year-old daughter Mariah Alvarez was found unresponsive and not breathing. 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. Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP. Click to reveal CPS records used in the trial do not evidence that suggests Lucio was abusive. At 6 years old, she was sexually assaulted by one of her mother's partners, her legal team said in the clemency petition. Ms. Lucio got the death penalty but shes asking for a chance to appeal. It was later determined that Mariah's arm had been broken two to seven weeks before her death, and an autopsy also showed a head injury and bruising of the kidneys, lungs and spinal cord. Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from the Innocence Project: Ms. Lucio is facing execution on April 27 for a crime that never occurred. "Please allow us to reconcile with Mariah's death and remember her without fresh pain, anguish and grief. Her next partner, who was also abusive, repeatedly raped her, and threatened to kill her. In 2019, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. The application also states that the state medical examiner who performed Mariah's autopsy was told that Lucio admitted to abusing the girl and was accompanied by two of the interrogating officers during the autopsy. Photos: Melissa Lucio Daughter Mariah Alvarez Autopsy Melissa Lucio is the first Hispanic woman to receive a death sentence in the state of Texas. Alexander Molony Children: Does Alexander Molony Have A Child? When she was a toddler, the family moved to the Rio Grande Valley, where her mother had grown up, after her father passed away when she was still an infant. He also stated that Lucio's execution would be a terrible tragedy. , in recognition of the fact that bite mark evidence lacks scientific validity and following the exoneration of a man in Texas convicted based on faulty bite mark evidence, the Texas Forensic Science Commission recommended a state-wide moratorium on the use of bite mark evidence in criminal cases. Officers contaminated the confession by repeatedly showing Ms. Lucio photographs of relevant evidence and suggesting certain words and facts, which she ultimately parroted back to the officers. Alexander Molony Girlfriend: Who Is Alexander Molony Girlfriend? The Cameron County District Attorney's Office, which prosecuted Lucio, declined to comment. Studies have shown that even trained forensic dentists cant agree whether or not an injury is a bite mark. April 7, 2022, 9:13 AM, CDT Fourteen years ago, Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death for killing the youngest of her 12 children, Mariah, in Harlingen. Questions over Mariah Alvarez's death and Lucio's role in it have lingered since the now-53-year-old mother was sentenced to death in 2008. Texas lawmakers push for clemency or reprieve for Melissa Lucio, woman on death row accused of killing her child . 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.". Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Lucio was convicted in the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah, and sentenced to be executed. Shanda Crain, who was convicted of killing her parents in 1995 in Washington Parish, Louisiana, said in an academic paper that she found similarities between her case and Lucio's. In 2008, She was convicted of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. ", "Texas mother is set for execution as evidence suggests she did not kill her child", "I voted to sentence Melissa Lucio to death. 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. 03/23/2022 by Anne Tyler Melissa Lucio, a middle-aged mother, was sentenced to death for allegedly killing her two-year-old son. Abbott's office, the Cameron County District Attorney's Office and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles did not immediately respond to ABC News' requests for comment. She had scattered bruising, bite marks on her back, patches of hair that had been pulled out, and a broken arm. They used coercive methods known to produce false confessions. hide caption. Photos: Melissa Lucio Daughter Mariah Alvarez Autopsy - Melissa Lucio is the first Hispanic woman to receive a death sentence in the state of Texas. Lucio had been sexually assaulted multiple times, starting at age 6, and had been physically and emotionally abused by two husbands. Ms. Lucio endured abuse throughout her childhood and into her teenage years. jsTikTok.type = 'text/javascript'; Selina, the fifth of Lucios 14 children, initially came forward on TikTok back in 2021 after the release of The State Of Texas vs. Melissa, a documentary on Hulu that covers the case and Lucios fight to have her conviction overturned. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Afterward, Lucio had seven kids with Robert Alvarez. . [1] Lucio's execution was set for April 27, 2022, but an appeals court granted her a stay on April 25, 2022. At 16, she became a child bride to escape. }); The content produced by YourTango is for informational and educational purposes only. AP jsTikTok.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? The Office of Justice Programs, an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice that focuses on crime prevention through research and development, said in a published report on interviewing domestic violence victims that detectives should "give credibility to the victim without expecting a high level of cooperation.". He then told Lucio that he would "help" her if she told him what he already knew. Melissa Lucio was born in Lubbock Texas on June 18 1969 as stated in court documents. In late 2006 Lucio got back the other kids after three older kids went to live with their father in Houston. Lawyers in Melissa Lucio case request retrial, push for death sentence to be dropped, Rangers believed Lucio had killed Mariah on Feb. 17, 2007, fighting to stop her April 27 execution date, published report on interviewing domestic violence victims. Lucio, who is an inmate on Texas death row, is set to be executed on Apr. But this can be detrimental because "a lot of trauma symptoms look like these behavioral cues of lying," Guarnera said. During the interrogation, officers berated and intimidated Ms. Lucio, who was pregnant and in shock from the loss of her child, for five hours. Greg Abbott to grant an execution reprieve or commute her sentence. Nearly all proven false confession cases have the following three things in common: As soon as police officers encountered Ms. Lucio, they misclassified her response to the grief and shock of her daughters death as indicative of guilt. Her lawyers say this lifelong trauma made her susceptible to giving a false confession. You know? The autopsy showed that Mariah also had a head injury and bruises on her kidneys lungs and spinal cord. Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez welcomed Mariah into the world in September 2004. Many people accept that Lucio's case is a reasonable case of treason, while others accept that she deserved the sanctions. Lucio Successor Writ Application, at 136 (quoting David Thompsons Expert Report). Lucio was convicted of killing her daughter, Mariah Alvarez, 15 years ago in . See additional information. Melissa Lucio is where she needs to be locked up behind bars for the death of her 2 year old daughter Mariah Alvarez. After the death of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, who had injuries to her head, contusions of the kidneys, lungs, and spinal cord, as well as scattered bruises that were in various stages of healing, she was found guilty of capital murder. Child Protective Services found that Lucios younger children were often left with their older siblings during a previous investigation into her for neglecting her children. "There's so much more to it that happens way before the crime.". "I think that's really significant that, you know, the individuals who heard the evidence against Melissa feel that the new evidence is so powerful that they may have voted differently in the case, and it just underscores the need for a court to consider the new evidence of Melissa's innocence," Potkin said. The photos current inside and out . [21] Lucio subsequently petitioned for clemency. The Rangers believed Lucio had killed Mariah on Feb. 17, 2007, saying that her unwillingness to make eye contact and her slumped shoulders were signs of guilt, according to a clemency petition filed on March 22. 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 daughters death. Guadalupe Lucio and Melissa Lucio had their first five children together when they were just 16 years old with their youngest daughter Lucio being the most recent addition. 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. At the time, Lucio said, the toddler didn't appear to be hurt, ABC News reported, citing court records. 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. 2023byTango Publishing Corporation All Rights Reserved. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. RELATED: 5 Death Penalty Facts That Will Make You Want To Abolish It Now. 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. According to the Cameron County District Attorney's Office, Mariah was found at the home with signs of abuse on her body. var isYTTikTok = 1; if(isYTTikTok == 1){ Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Melissa Lucio holds her daughter Mariah. Andy Griffiths, a former senior investigating officer with the U.K. police, wrote in a 2012 article that the Peace model trains officers to focus on "probing a suspect's account" instead of trying to force a confession. The parole board was scheduled to vote on Lucio's clemency petition two days before the execution. 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. Convicted of murdering one of her 9 children, her 2 year old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. [3] Lucio says she was sexually abused by her mother's boyfriend for about two years, beginning when she was seven years old. 89.44.32.192 Alexander Molony Siblings: Who Are Alexander Molony Siblings? Mariahs autopsy showed signs of a blood coagulation disorder, which causes profuse bruising throughout the body. Bite mark analysis has been wholly discredited since Ms. Lucios trial because it has no scientific basis. Selinas claims contradict the evidence presented in the case. I was wrong", "I am sending a letter to Governor @GregAbbot_Tx", "Texas death row prisoner Melissa Lucio granted stay of execution", "Hulu Acquires U.S. Rights to Tribeca Documentary, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Melissa_Lucio&oldid=1139933110, Articles with failed verification from December 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 16:02. 16th Street, 2nd Avenue, Batsona Community 18 ET:This article has been updated to reflect the latest news in this case. At times, they were homeless and relied on food banks for meals, according to the petition. Two days later, she took a nap and didnt wake up. [15], A 2011 appeal against the conviction was denied by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Paramedics were called to the Lucio home on February 17, 2007, as two-year-old Mariah was not breathing and was unresponsive. Mariah Alvarez was born to Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez in September 2004. Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death in Texas after she confessed to beating her 2-year-old daughter, who later died. Additionally, court documents state that the emergency room physician said he had not seen a case of child abuse worse than Mariah's. Email: [emailprotected] If a majority of the Board of Pardons and Paroles were to recommend it, Governor Greg Abbott could grant clemency. "I guess I did it," police say Lucio told them. At Ms. Lucios trial, the medical examiner testified that the bruises and injuries on Mariahs body could only have been caused by abuse. In a March 2022 letter to the Board of Pardons and Paroles and to Governor Abbott, eighty-three members of the Texas House of Representatives, including both Democrats and Republicans, signed a letter stating that executing Lucio would be "a miscarriage of justice". BROWNSVILLE - Melissa Elizabeth Lucio was formally sentenced to death by lethal injection in the 13th Judicial District Court, according to a Cameron county District Attorney's Office release. 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. BROWNSVILLE - Melissa Elizabeth Lucio was formally sentenced to death by lethal injection in the 13th Judicial District Court, according to a Cameron county District Attorney's Office release. Advertisement : [emailprotected] The State of Texas has scheduled Ms. Lucios execution for April 27, for a crime that never occurred. Her supporters say she was . 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. Lucio told police Mariah fell asleep and did not wake up. In the similar case of Manuel Velez, a man who was initially convicted for murdering a one-year-old baby and whose death sentence was overturned after further investigation, Farley's conclusions had also been contradicted by other medical experts. Unprecedented pictures of Melissa Lucio 's examination have surfaced because of the absence of life column prisoner inside the narrative " Death by Mama" airs on ABC. jsTikTok.async = true; The autopsy also revealed that Mariah had suffered a head injury and bruises on her kidneys, lungs, and spinal cord. At one point, a ranger got within inches of Lucio's face and said there was evidence that did not look good, the petition stated. An appeals court opinion detailed how an investigator said he "knew she did something" because of her demeanor. said, adding that an emergency room doctor said it was the "absolute worst" case of child abuse. She would be the first Latina to ever be executed in the state. a habeas petition with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals seeking a stay of her execution and arguing that she deserves a new trial because she is innocent and the State relied on false evidence,and hid favorable evidence, to convict her. Her husband and Mariah's father, Robert Alvarez, was sentenced to four years in prison for child endangerment. She was sexually abused by family members beginning at the age of 6. 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. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. The jury was deprived of key evidence to weigh: that is the point.. She is scheduled to be executed by. Death Penalty Action started the Free Melissa Lucio project shortly after Lucio was notified of her execution date. In a previous investigation into Lucio for alleged child neglect, Child Protective Services found that his youngest kids were frequently left in the care of their older, teenage siblings. Isla Bryson Parents: Who Are The Parents Of Isla Bryson? Mariah was Lucio's twelfth child. Now, are you a cold-blooded killer or were you a frustrated mother who just took it out on [Mariah]?" Court documents show that prosecutors argued at Lucio's trial that she had repeatedly abused Mariah and killed her by hitting her in the head. 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. Guarnera said these are excellent tips to follow, but pointed out that detectives often do the opposite when they believe someone is a suspect and not a victim. Lucio and her children struggled through poverty. Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is set to be executed on April 27. Updated on March 25, 2022, 2:30 p.m. The State presented no physical evidence or witness testimony establishing that Lucio abused Mariah or any of her children, let alone killed Mariah, Judge Catharina Haynes wrote on behalf of the seven dissenting judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in response to the States scheduling of Lucios execution on April 27, 2022. Officers used powerfully manipulative techniques many of which rise to the level of risk factors for false confession to coerce Ms. Lucio to incriminate herself. } He is accused of neglecting to take his daughter to the doctor. Prosecutors say Lucio fatally beat her 2-year-old daughter but Lucio has long denied that, saying Mariah died from injuries sustained during a fall down a flight of stairs. RELATED: Oklahoma Gov. After nearly 15 years on death row in Texas, Lucio was granted a stay of her scheduled . "There are already police departments around the world who have this more investigatory, fact-finding model," Guarnera said. "[10], During the trial, Lucio's recorded statements from her interrogation were described as a confession by Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos, who was seeking re-election at the time. The Innocence Project, a criminal justice reform nonprofit that aims to exonerate wrongly convicted persons using DNA and other evidence, joined Lucio's legal team soon after her execution was scheduled in January. "You're not making this firm division between a victim and suspect because a lot of times you don't know at the beginning who's a victim and who's a suspect.". Only 17 women have been executed in the U.S. since the Supreme Court lifted its ban on the death penalty in 1976, most recently in January 2021. Photos: Melissa Lucio Daughter Mariah Alvarez Autopsy. The brief states that Lucio's subdued behavior and acquiescence during interrogation were the result of prior trauma as a survivor of abuse. 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. On April 15, Ms. Lucios. Lucio says she regrets the confession and her advocates suggest that police and prosecutors were wrong to assume that she was the only one in the home capable of abusing Mariah. New evidence suggests the death may have been an accident - and today, the Texas Board of Pardons . The boy then responded: "No, I saw her fall. Melissa Lucio, only Latina on Texas death row, seeks clemency as execution looms. Experts said these conditions are all risk factors that make a person more likely to falsely confess. 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