AUSTIN, Texas — A new turn in the fight to save death row inmate )sic) Robert Roberson.
“We will not relent in the pursuit of justice for Mr. Roberson. It’s not going to happen,” said State Representative Jeff Leach.
On Friday, two state lawmakers laid out how they plan to stop the execution of Roberson. State Representatives Jeff Leach and Joe Moody said a hearing is set for December 20th to let Roberson explain how the junk science law has failed him. The remarks were made during Friday’s Texas Tribune session, Is Justice Served? Legislative Intervention and the Death Penalty.
The lawmakers said the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has until Friday evening to let them know if they will bring the death row inmate to testify on December 20th. If not, they say they will issue another subpoena to bring Roberson to the state capitol so they can hear from him in person.
57-year-old Robert Roberson was convicted of murder in the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter. Prosecutors said he violently shook his daughter causing fatal head injuries. A bipartisan group of lawmakers and medical experts disagree. They contend his conviction is based on flawed or junk science. In October, the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee abruptly stopped his execution by issuing a subpoena ordering him to testify.
“He was within 20 feet and 20 minutes of being killed by the State of Texas,” said Leach.
The two lawmakers said the Attorney General’s Office is dragging its feet on agreeing to let Roberson testify. Leach and Moody say they are prepared to issue another subpoena to hear directly from the death row inmate.
“The Attorney’s General Office can disagree with the legislature and can debate the legislature, we welcome that. But they cannot disregard the legislature. They can’t and that’s what’s happening right now. We are not going to allow that to stand without a fight,” said Leach.
The state has not set a new execution date for Roberson. Lawmakers say that means he can testify before them on December 20th. The Texas Supreme Court ruled a hearing is allowed if it doesn’t interfere with carrying out a scheduled death sentence.
“We as legislators need to see and hear him. The Texans who care about these issues need to see and hear him. It informs our decision making,” said Moody. “I have asked the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to comply with the statute and that is nondiscretionary. Please bring this person before the committee to testify.”
The lawmakers say their goals are to get Roberson a new trial and initiate a thorough review of the Texas Junk Science Law."
The entire story ca be read at:
https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/texas-lawmakers-lay-out-a-plan-to-get-death-row-inmate-robert-roberson-to-testify
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;
