Kim Kardashian shows support for Texas woman on death row 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. Bryant ordered Wallace to drop the gun, which he did immediately and was restrained; Lacaze then lunged toward Wallace, but Bryant grabbed him. Trevor McDonald enters Death Row at one of America's oldest and most notorious maximum-security prisons to meet the very people whose crimes have led to the ultimate punishment. Lucio, a 53-year-old Mexican-American mum, was found guilty in 2008 of the death of her two-year-old daughter Mariah, who died in 2007 after falling down the stairs.. Her story became the subject of the 2020. May 15, 2018. He continued by telling her, "We already know what happened". Women on Death Row | Prison DocumentaryBehind Bars: South Cotabato Jail, Philippines: https://youtu.be/A8slYgeqGLwIn the United States, 54 women are "on hold. #FreeMelissaLucio: Innocent Woman on Death Row in Texas [26], On March 6, 2022, in the main segment of an episode of the HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver called "Wrongful Convictions", her case was the main one to be mentioned as a reason for the reform of the American justice system and specifically, the abolition of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA). Police then telephoned Carty and asked her to meet with them. After Frank and Lacaze left the premises, Chau tried frantically to call 911 on her cell phone, but the cooler prevented her from getting a usable signal. The following evidence was presented during the trial: Carty was convicted of murder on February 19, 2002. Updated: 21:50, 10 Dec 2020 Chiara Fiorillo Published: Invalid Date, DARLIE Routier has spent the last 23 years on death row. [5] When Chau went to pay Williams, Chau noticed Frank approaching the restaurant. Kim Kardashian shows support for Texas death-row inmate My gut told me that it was all messed up., Jason Flom, the founder of Lava Records who is an Innocence Project board member and the creator of the podcast Wrongful Conviction told Variety that the awful case of Melissa Lucio is an appalling example of just how broken our criminal legal system truly is., She was a victim, Flom went on, of a vicious and corrupt prosecutor who himself is currently serving time in federal prison [Armando Villalobos was convicted of bribery and extortion in 2014 for accepting over $100,000 in exchange for favorable outcomes in criminal trials and is currently serving a 13-year sentence in prison]; an incompetent and quite possibly compromised defense attorney; junk science; and above alla society in which the odds were stacked against her from birth., A court document highlights the horrific social conditions that afflicted Melissa and her children: The familys water has been turned off for a month. At the time, commissioned law enforcement officers were legally barred from sitting on a jury. [4], Mariah Alvarez was born to Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez in September 2004. With the latest camera equipment used by well-known filmmakers working for famous production studios. She received a lethal injection at a prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, after a last-minute . In 2020, Hulu produced the mentioned documentary, The State of Texas vs. Melissa, which detailed how she could be innocent. [2] Carty studied pharmacology at the University of Houston. The authorities in Texas failed to inform the British Consulate until after Carty's conviction and sentencing. Prior to the murders, others testified that Frank and Lacaze would pull over and rob motorists while in a squad car. [8] She admitted to having spanked Mariah, but denied ever having abused her, which she repeated more than 100 times. She had scattered bruising, bite marks on her back, patches of hair that had been pulled out, and a broken arm. Hulu Acquires Tribeca Documentary 'The State of Texas vs - Variety 'A lifetime of torture': the story of the woman Trump is rushing to The women on death row are housed at the Mountain View Unit. For ten years she has been awaiting her fate, and she now faces her last appeal. I had never been incarcerated. The first is accused of kidnapping and killing her neighbor to abduct her baby. In 2008, Lucio became the first Latina woman sentenced to death in Texas. She was aided by her probable lover, drug dealer Rogers Lacaze. In February 2002, she was sentenced to death for the abduction and murder in 2001 of 25-year-old Joana Rodriguez in order to steal Rodriguez's newborn son. A sister, Diane, asserts that she was a very loving person, but she had a rough life. From inside the cooler, Chau and Quoc could partially see the restaurant's kitchen and front. As Frank turned back to the restaurant dining room, Chau grabbed Quoc to hide somewhere. Frank refused to discuss anything regarding the murders - every time the investigator asked her a question, she told him to "look it up in the record" or asserted her innocence. Life On Death Row - Prison Documentary 2017 - video Dailymotion Depicting an elderly woman and man with stern expressions, they remind the viewer of the North Korean leaders, rather than those of a free country. Louisiana state Judge Laurie White heard the motion in September 2009 and, on January 3, 2010 ruled that Marullo should not be taken off the case. Executing Melissa will not bring peace to her surviving children. [22][13] In addition, they assert that Guerinot met with Carty for only a single 15 minute interview. Lewis, now in her 80s, is petite, sprightly and measured; on camera, she pores over old records with an unmitigated curiosity and residual anxiety over potential missed diagnoses from years before. Now, are you a cold-blooded killer or were you a frustrated mother who just took it out on [Mariah]?" [16] In 2019, a three-judge panel of the Federal Appeals Court overturned the sentence and ordered a retrial because of the trial court's interference in Lucio's right to present a defense. A psychiatrist retained by the state disagreed that Frank showed symptoms of trauma; he agreed with the diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder with antisocial tendencies given to Frank by doctors at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women. Williams was a colleague of Frank who had been working as the security guard that night to supplement his policeman's salary. 8. Blanche Taylor Moore - Wikipedia Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, Department of Public Safety and Corrections, damaged after floods resulting from levee failures, List of women on death row in the United States, "Killings That Broke The Spirit of a Besieged City", My visit with Antoinette Frank on death row: convicted cop killer, "Why Stay? Waiting To Be Executed: Life On Death Row (Trevor McDonald Documentary [21] Lucio subsequently petitioned for clemency. Melissa Lucio was the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death in Texas. 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. She has mainly focused on social issues such as underage sex trafficking, children in ultra-right-wing movements, women in prison and the Holocaust. Shes a mother of 14 children, with a history of drug abuse and a life of poverty, who is accused of abusing her younger daughter to death.. Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh . Contact the ADOC. In February 2021, the 2019 grant of relief was reversed. More for you. As the employees cleaned the closed restaurant, Chau Vu went into the kitchen to count money and entered the dining room of the restaurant to pay Ronald A. Williams II. "[12], Police and prosecutors believe that the skull was that of Adam Frank, and that Antoinette murdered him. A court will consider new evidence regarding the case of Melissa Lucio and the death of her daughter, Mariah. Lacaze had slipped behind Williams and shot him in the neck, severing his spinal cord and instantly paralyzing him. 8 Must-See Prison Documentaries that Will Make You Rethink Everything Hanging was means of execution from 1819 to 1923. [14], Forensic pathologist Dr. Thomas Young, the former chief medical examiner in Kansas City, Missouri, reviewed the case at the request of Lucio's post-conviction attorney. intentionally withholding "numerous items" of exculpatory evidence, List of women on death row in the United States, "Linda Carty: 'I'm not afraid of dying. We decided to follow five of them. The parole board was scheduled to vote on Lucio's clemency petition two days before the execution. Melissas family, and some of her children, felt so railroaded by the justice system, they didnt trust anyone anymore. The director further explained that Melissas children have been placed all over Texas. Faces of Death Row | The Texas Tribune pic.twitter.com/vfb4QeOtY1, The lawmakers are among dozens of Texas legislators who have signed a letter to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles asking it to act in Melissa Lucio's case. At the time of the murders Antoinette Frank was working for the New Orleans Police Department as an officer. RELATED: Family of woman on death row claims she's innocent, pleads for her release. On May 22, 2007, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled 52 that the death penalty should be upheld. [3], Frank and Lacaze were indicted by an Orleans Parish grand jury on April 28, 1995. THIS DEATH ROW DOCUMENTARY WILL CHANGE YOU FOREVER! However, during her interview with the DOC investigator, Frank claimed to have had a male suitor but refused to go into specifics because he worked for the police department. Melissa Lucio was the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death in Texas. The speakers at Thursday's press conference included Reps. Jeff Leach (R-Allen) and Joe Moody (D-El Paso), who co-chair the Texas House Criminal Justice Reform Caucus and who were recently appointed as chair and vice-chair, respectively, of the Interim Study Committee on Criminal Justice Reform.