QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Christopher S. Banks, President and CEO of the Autism Society of America, expressed his relief and hope for the future: “This stay of execution is a crucial step towards justice for Robert Roberson and individuals like him. The flawed science, compounded by misconceptions of Autism, contributed to this wrongful conviction. This is exactly why we need the Autism Society’s Justice Center. We will not stop fighting until Robert receives the justice he deserves, and we will continue to stand against the injustices for those with Autism and other developmental disabilities.'
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”RELEASE: "Execution Halted for Robert Roberson: Hope for Autism and Disability Advocates," published by The Autism Society, on October 22, 2024.
SUB-HEADING: "Texas Supreme Court Grants Last-Minute Stay of Execution Following Coordinated Advocacy Efforts."
GIST: "In an historic and coordinated effort, the Autism Society of America, its Autism Justice Center, the Autism Society of Texas, the Innocence Project, and many others have succeeded in halting the execution of Robert Roberson, an Autistic Texas man. Just 90 minutes before the scheduled execution, the Texas Supreme Court issued a temporary stay, following a bipartisan move by Texas legislators to subpoena Roberson for testimony before the Texas Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence on October 21st—just days after his scheduled execution. This extraordinary action is widely regarded as a critical last effort to save Roberson’s life.
Mounting evidence has discredited the flawed science used to convict Roberson for the tragic death of his toddler in 2002, further underscoring the need for justice.
Christopher S. Banks, President and CEO of the Autism Society of America, expressed his relief and hope for the future: “This stay of execution is a crucial step towards justice for Robert Roberson and individuals like him. The flawed science, compounded by misconceptions of Autism, contributed to this wrongful conviction. This is exactly why we need the Autism Society’s Justice Center. We will not stop fighting until Robert receives the justice he deserves, and we will continue to stand against the injustices for those with Autism and other developmental disabilities.”
“We are grateful for the tireless efforts of Mr. Roberson’s legal team and the Innocence Project, and all those who raised their voices to call for justice,” continues Banks.
Autism and disability advocates have long denounced the inaccurate and harmful portrayals of Roberson as “cold and unfeeling” during his trial. In the days leading up to the stay, our community mobilized. Over the past few months, the Autism Society and Autism Society of Texas has issued press statements, sent action alerts, and conducted a collaborative communications strategy with other disability rights organizations; through on the ground advocacy efforts by Autism Society Texas, and our Autism Justice Center team, we delivered over 350 letters to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, demanding clemency for Robert Roberson. Our call for justice was echoed by the Dallas Morning News, which published our letter-to-the-editor on October 13, 2024. Our CEO, Christopher Banks, also personally advocated with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, underscoring the need for mercy.
“We are so grateful to the bipartisan group of state legislators who tirelessly worked to prevent this injustice and continue to do so,” said Jacquie Benestante, Executive Director of the Autism Society of Texas. “Their commitment, alongside our community’s advocacy, has given Robert Roberson another chance at justice. We especially want to thank our partners at the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.”
The fight is far from over. We remain committed to working with our partners at the Innocence Project, the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, and others to ensure that justice prevails. Texans, please continue to use and share our Action Alert to message Governor Abbott, urging him to grant clemency to Robert Roberson. If you are not in Texas, you can support Robert by signing the Innocence Project’s Petition. Stay tuned for next steps as we continue to advocate for Robert Roberson and others like him.”
The entire release can be read at:
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
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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;
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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;
