PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I was really pleased to come upon this powerful editorial by Editor-in-chief Catherine Zarr, calling fellow Trinity University students to help - and whoever else reads it - to help stop the rapidly approaching execution of Robert Roberson for a crime that never happened. In short, to step in and exercise this chance for them to save an innocent life. I would love to see her editorial posted on Governor Abbott's office door, so he can read it whenever he enters or leaves the room.
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
-----------------------------------------------------
PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Over 30 convictions have since been overturned in light of the scientific unsoundness of this SBS theory. Roberson’s case needs to join that number. There is clear and convincing evidence that Nikki died of natural causes, and in light of this evidence, there is no way that Texas can move forward with execution without running the tremendous and irreversible risk of murdering an innocent man. Even the lead detective who testified for the prosecution in Roberson’s case, Brian Wharton, is now advocating the state to halt Roberson’s execution. Wharton, in an opinion piece for the New York Times, said “I made a big mistake” and that he now believes Roberson to be innocent. Last month the world witnessed the murder of the likely innocent Marcellus Williams in Missouri. We cannot let another innocent person die."
—————————————————————————————
EDITORIAL"This is your chance to save an innocent life. There will be a murder in six days unless the courts or Gov. Greg Abbott intervenes, by Catherine Zarr, Editor-in-Chief of the Trinitonian, published on October 10, 2024.
GIST: "On Oct. 17, Texas is set to execute death row inmate Robert Roberson for a crime that he is not only innocent of, but that never even occurred in the first place. Roberson was convicted in 2003 and sentenced to death for the murder of his two-year-old daughter Nikki. Except, Nikki was not murdered.
During the short life that Nikki lived, she was chronically ill. She experienced antibiotic-resistant infections, unexplained breathing apnea and, in the week before her death, had been vomiting, coughing and had a fever of over 104 F. Roberson, concerned about Nikki’s condition, repeatedly took her to the emergency room and pediatrician’s offices. To treat her, doctors prescribed several respiratory-suppressing drugs that are no longer FDA-approved for use in children of her age or in her condition, and which a post-mortem toxicology report found in her bloodstream in lethal quantities.
The morning of Nikki’s death in 2002, Roberson woke up to discover Nikki unconscious and with blue lips. He immediately brought her to an emergency room, where she was pronounced dead.
A more recent reexamination of her lung tissue showed that Nikki was suffering from both viral and bacterial pneumonia, and had gone into septic shock from her condition. The respiratory-suppressing drugs she was on for pneumonia also played a potential role by hindering her breathing.
Despite knowledge of Nikki’s preexisting conditions, medical staff jumped to the conclusion at the time that Roberson must have murdered Nikki because of his “unusual” demeanor in the emergency room — behavior consistent with autism spectrum disorder, which he has since been diagnosed with.
Medical professionals declared Nikki’s death a homicide via a now-debunked version of the shaken baby syndrome hypothesis (SBS). They assumed that a caretaker, in this case Roberson, must have shaken Nikki because her swelling in the brain and difficulty breathing were hallmarks of SBS. The presence of SBS symptoms was considered proof that abuse had occurred even in the presence of other medical conditions that could have also caused those symptoms.
The neurosurgeon who first proposed this SBS hypothesis has since recanted his work. Startled by the number of caregivers wrongfully convicted of killing their chronically ill children under his hypothesis, he said “I am doing what I can so long as I have a breath to correct a grossly unjust situation.” Over 30 convictions have since been overturned in light of the scientific unsoundness of this SBS theory.
Roberson’s case needs to join that number. There is clear and convincing evidence that Nikki died of natural causes, and in light of this evidence, there is no way that Texas can move forward with execution without running the tremendous and irreversible risk of murdering an innocent man. Even the lead detective who testified for the prosecution in Roberson’s case, Brian Wharton, is now advocating the state to halt Roberson’s execution. Wharton, in an opinion piece for the New York Times, said “I made a big mistake” and that he now believes Roberson to be innocent.
Last month the world witnessed the murder of the likely innocent Marcellus Williams in Missouri. We cannot let another innocent person die. I have always found the death penalty to be appalling and horrific — guilt or innocence aside — but it is especially unforgivable when an innocent person is executed. If there is even a shred of doubt that the person might not be guilty, don’t we have a responsibility to stop their execution? If we don’t stop it, are we complicit in murder?
Life is so, so precious and taking it is something that can never be undone. If there is even the possibility of innocence, it is our moral and ethical responsibility, both as human beings and especially as residents of Texas, to ensure that the state does not carry out that execution. The execution of an innocent person is murder. If we don’t take action to halt this execution, that makes us accomplices.
Gov. Abbott has the power to stop this execution. Up until the very moment the execution happens, it is not too late to halt it. Here is what you can do:
1. Call Gov. Abbott at 361-264-9653 and insist that he intervene. If you have trouble figuring out what to say, there are several scripts available online that you can use to help.
2. Keep checking the news for updates on Roberson’s case. I would especially recommend that you check out the Innocence Project’s website. They are representing him, and their website has more information about his case and a petition you can sign to halt his execution.
3. Raise awareness about Roberson’s innocence and impending execution in whatever ways you can, whether that be posting on social media or telling your friends and loved ones about it.
4. Connect with other Trinity University students about this case. As residents of this state and in some cases constituents, we are uniquely positioned to stop this execution.
You have the power to save a life. Use it."
The entire editorial can be read at:
https://trinitonian.com/2024/10/10/this-is-your-chance-to-save-an-innocent-life/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
- SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
———————————————————————————————
FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
—————————————————————————————————
FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
