She has also been charged with capital murder in the death of her six-year-old son, Devon, who was murdered at the same time as Damon. Theyre saying that the evidence on Lucio is troubling and that they at the least want a stay of execution. Now, are you a cold-blooded killer or were you a frustrated mother who just took it out on [Mariah]?" [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. Box 301501 Montgomery, Alabama 36130-1501 webmaster@doc.alabama.gov 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. Chau told Frank she knew what she had done and cried to the officers that Frank had committed the crimes. Police then telephoned Carty and asked her to meet with them. [13] Michael Goldberg of Baker Botts accuses Guerinot, who never won a death penalty case over his entire career, of failing to call any witnesses who might have persuaded the jury that she did not deserve execution. Aggressively interrogated for close to seven hours (partially shown in the documentary), the traumatized mother was coerced to confess, according to Melissa and her attorneys. The documentary outlines why her conviction was an egregious miscarriage of justice. Antoinette Frank - Wikipedia Fronted by the Good Morning Britain presenter, the film will. 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. On June 19, 2016, Sky Network aired a one-hour program about her case on CBS Reality. The United Kingdom contends in its amicus curiae brief[23] in the US Supreme Court that it regards the US as having breached its obligations under international law. The mother of 14 children, Melissa talks about her poverty-stricken, abusive background. Williams was a colleague of Frank who had been working as the security guard that night to supplement his policeman's salary. 2d 724 (La. As Chau bolted through the restaurant's front door to the safety of arriving officers, Frank immediately identified herself as a police officer. Bryant thought the officer was making a traffic stop, but as he got closer, he saw the officer and two black men fighting on the side of the road. He said, among other problems, Lucio didnt have adequate counsel. That is why most poor defendants accept plea deals even if theyre innocent. Lucio has a chance to prove her innocence and save her own . Frank pistol-whipped 17-year-old Cuong when he hesitated in revealing the location of the money. We also discuss breaking news of the confirmed date for Lisa Montgomery's execution, Eric Menendez's retrial, and why the new Netflix documentary film American . On March 22, 2022, ITV broadcast British Grandma on Death Row with Susanna Reid, in which Carty continued to protest her innocence. Antoinette Renee Frank (born April 30, 1971) is a former officer of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) who, on March 4, 1995, committed a violent armed robbery at a restaurant which resulted in the killing of two members of the Vietnamese-American family who ran the establishment, and fellow NOPD officer Ronald A. Williams II. Lacaze had slipped behind Williams and shot him in the neck, severing his spinal cord and instantly paralyzing him. [3] Carty has claimed that she was framed by three men for her work as an informant with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Who are they? [25], A 2020 documentary by Sabrina Van Tassel titled The State of Texas vs. Melissa follows Lucio's case. Lucio is scheduled to be executed on April 27. The Fear of 13. Melissa Lucio was the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death in Texas. [7] The child was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Set in the heart of the Latino community of South Texas, the film explores the life and trials of Melissa Lucio, the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death row in Texas, the state. Hulu has acquired U.S rights to Sabrina Van Tassel's documentary 'The State of Texas vs. Melissa,' which was selected for Tribeca in 2020. . Women on Death Row (4) 54min 2022 16+ Less than 2% of the inmate population awaiting execution on death row are women. Citing trial court interference in her right to present a defense, a federal appeals court has overturned the conviction of Melissa Lucio, a Texas mother who was sentenced to death for murdering her two-year-old daughter.In an unpublished, unsigned opinion issued on July 29, 2019, a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said that trial court rulings that blocked Melissa Elizabeth Lucio from calling an expert witness to challenge the reliability of statements she gave to police violated Lucios right to present a complete defense. The appeals court reversed a federal district court decision that had upheld Lucios conviction and death sentence and returned the case to the lower court to grant Lucio a new trial.Several people have been exonerated from death row after being wrongfully convicted of killing children. At that time, Wallace broke away, ran, and picked up a TEC-9 semi-automatic weapon off the grass. Frank heard the 911 call on her portable police radio saying that an officer was down at the Kim Anh restaurant. 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. [1][2][3] On occasion, though, she did distinguish herself, winning "Officer of the Month" awards from the local Kiwanis Club for her work in the community. FREEDOM TUBE 3.64K subscribers Subscribe 630K views 2. Antoinette Renee Frank (born April 30, 1971) is a former officer of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) who, on March 4, 1995, committed a violent armed robbery at a restaurant which resulted in the killing of two members of the Vietnamese-American family who ran the establishment, and fellow NOPD officer Ronald A. Williams II. 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. In May, however, the Louisiana Supreme Court issued a 90-day stay of execution effective June 10 pending ongoing appeals. [5], Under the terms of the Bilateral Convention on Consular Officers (1951) between the United States and the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom's consular officials were entitled to be informed immediately upon her detention (art. Alabama Inmates Currently on Death Row - Alabama Department of Corrections Was her child's death really a murder? According to Stevens, Wallace rushed Lacaze, and the two men began fighting. They found various items of baby paraphernalia.[3]. Blanche Taylor Moore Talk Read Edit View history Blanche Kiser Taylor Moore (born February 17, 1933) is an American convicted murderer and possible serial killer from Alamance County, North Carolina. Texas lawmakers push for clemency or reprieve for Melissa Lucio, woman [15], A 2011 appeal against the conviction was denied by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. We decided to follow five of them. Sentenced to the death penalty, her execution is scheduled for April 27 at the Huntsville Penitentiary.. As the deadline nears, her attorneys have asked the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles . DEATH ROW U.S.A. - WOMEN (6) - TEXAS - YouTube Melissa was a good person. Another sister claims the trial was a kangaroo court a circus, where the jury was laughing with the prosecutor and the judge. 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. Hernandez said the letter was supposed to be from someone named Oscar. In 2007, Melissa Lucio 's 2-year-old daughter, Mariah, died after a tragic, accidental fall down a flight of stairs. She was convicted of capital murder after the death of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, who was found to have scattered bruising in various stages of healing, as well as injuries to her head and contusions of the kidneys, lungs and spinal cord. The Mississippi Supreme Court overturned Butlers conviction in 1992.Rodricus Crawford was convicted and sentenced to death in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, on charges that he had smothered his infant son. I did not know what to expect. She observes sadly that I often think about my daughter Mariah. Darlie Lynn Peck Routier (born January 4, 1970) is an American woman from Rowlett, Texas, who was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of her five-year-old son Damon in 1996. The State of Texas vs. Melissa : "The State of Texas wants to kill me The association between Frank and Lacaze became noticeable after other police officers witnessed Lacaze driving her car, and even observed him moving her police unit at the scene of an accident she was investigating. The NOPD was chronically short-handed; at the time, its officers were paid less than in similarly sized cities, it was losing officers faster than they could be replaced, and the ranks had been decimated by several arrests for murder and drug activity. Stream thousands of shows and movies, with plans starting at$7.99/month. [5] When Chau went to pay Williams, Chau noticed Frank approaching the restaurant. Written and directed by Sabrina Van Tassel French-American filmmaker Sabrina Van Tassel's heart-wrenching documentary The State of Texas vs. Melissa, now streaming on Hulu, chronicles the case. [18] While interviewing neighbors in the apartment complex, police heard from one neighbor that she sat with Carty in a car, saw a child's car seat in the car, and was told by Carty that she was pregnant, although the witness thought Carty did not appear to be pregnant. International Committee of the Fourth International. The women on death row are housed at the Mountain View Unit. 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. Updated: 21:50, 10 Dec 2020 Chiara Fiorillo Published: Invalid Date, DARLIE Routier has spent the last 23 years on death row. She did fall down. [24] They assert that no scientific evidence exists that establishes that she was at the scene of the crime,[5] although her fingerprints were found in the car containing the victim's body. ADC Death Row - Arkansas Department of Corrections Dive in these women's lives full of horror, hope, death, and love, in one of the most 60 women are waiting for their execution on death row.