HARLINGEN, Texas – The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected a lower court’s finding that Melissa Lucio is actually innocent in the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter, leaving her capital-murder conviction in place.
Lucio, who has spent 18 years on death row, has argued that her daughter’s fatal head injury resulted from an accidental fall and that new scientific evidence and withheld evidence undermined the case against her.
A district judge in 2024 recommended that Lucio’s conviction be overturned and that she be declared innocent. The Court of Criminal Appeals disagreed, saying the lower court’s conclusions relied too heavily on Lucio’s interpretation of the evidence.
Four of the court’s nine judges dissented in whole or in part. Lucio’s attorney said she plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Source: The Texas Tribune
