NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The upcoming scheduled execution of a mother of 14 in Texas is getting the attention of Kim Kardashian.
The reality star is showing her support for Melissa Lucio, who was sent to death row after being convicted of murder for the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah. Prosecutors say the toddler was the victim of child abuse and that while at the hospital in 2007 she showed signs of having a head injury and an untreated broken arm.
Kardashian tweeted, “I recently just read about the case of Melissa Lucio and wanted to share her story with you. She has been on death row for over 14 years for her daughter’s death that was a tragic accident.”
Lawyers for Lucio say the murder never happened and that there is forensic evidence proving Mariah’s injuries were actually caused by a fall down a flight of stairs outside the family’s apartment in Harlingen, Texas, days before her death.
On social media Kardashian claimed, “Mariah fell down a flight of stairs and two days later passed away while taking a nap. After she called for help, she was taken into custody by the police. Melissa is a survivor of abuse and domestic violence herself and after being interrogated for hours and falsely pleaded guilty. She wanted the interrogation to end, but police made her words out to be a confession.”
The now 53-year-old Lucio has always maintained that she was coerced into making a confession after being relentlessly questioned by detectives for hours.
Kardashian is now calling on the public and her millions of followers to sign an Innocence Project petition urging Texas Governor Greg Abbott to stop Lucio’s execution.
More than 80 members of the Texas House recently sent a letter to the Board of Pardons and Paroles and to Gov. Abbott asking them to grant a reprieve or commute Lucio’s sentence. In the letter they also said that executing Lucio would be “a miscarriage of justice.”
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Lucio’s conviction in 2019, ruling she was deprived of “her constitutional right to present a meaningful defense.” However, prosecutors successfully appealed and Lucio’s conviction was reinstated in 2021.
On April 6 a group of bipartisan Texas lawmakers met with Lucio on Texas Death Row. State Representative Victoria Neave Criado (D-Dallas) said Lucio was, “… glowing and filled with hope, love for her family, and a profound faith that she will walk free one day,” during the meeting.
Neave announced that, in coordination with Somos Tejas, she has organized a ‘Save Melissa Lucio Rally’ at Dallas City Hall on April 7, 2022 at 6:00 pm. In addition to community leaders, members of Lucio’s family are expected to attend the event.
As it stands, Lucio’s execution is set for April 27. If the lethal injection is carried out Lucio would be the first Latina executed in Texas and the first woman put to death since 2014.
Currently Melissa Lucio sits on death row in the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas.