INNOCENCE PROJECT PETITION: JUSTICE FOR ROBERT ROBERSON:
STOP THE OCT, 16 EXECUTION OF ROBERT ROBERSON:
https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/justice-for-robert-roberson/
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "In February 2025, counsel for Mr. Roberson filed a successive habeas application with the TCCA, arguing that relief is required because new expert opinions and scientific advancements have emerged since October 2024, when the TCCA acknowledged in a similar case that the scientific foundation for “Shaken Baby Syndrome” (SBS) convictions lack reliability. Filings indicate this new evidence serves two-fold: rational jurors would not find Mr. Roberson guilty of capital murder today, and his conviction was materially influenced by scientific and medical evidence now considered outdated and unreliable. Counsel pointed to the TCCA’s decision in Ex Parte Roark, where the court overturned a murder conviction based on the SBS testimony of the same expert who testified against Mr. Roberson."
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POST: "District Judge Sets “Unfortunate” New Execution Date for Texas Prisoner Robert Roberson, Despite Pending Petition in Support of His Innocence Claim," by Communications Associate Hayley Bedard, published by The Death Penalty Information Center, on July 18, 2025.
GIST: On July 16, 2025, Smith County District Judge Austin Reeve Jackson set an execution date of October 16, 2025 for Robert Roberson, a man with a strong innocence claim who has a habeas corpus petition pending at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (TCCA).
Judge Jackson, after hearing arguments from both defense counsel for Mr. Roberson and attorneys from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office, ruled that there was no legal basis for not signing an execution order. “It doesn’t seem like anything is going to get resolved without a date,” said Judge Jackson, who called this decision “unfortunate.”
Counsel for Mr. Roberson objected to AG Paxton’s “unusual” request to set an execution date, noting the court should not set a date as long as Mr. Roberson’s appeal remains pending in front of the TCCA. Judge Jackson noted the motion has remained pending in front of the TCCA for more than five months.
In June 2025, AG Paxton filed a motion in the Anderson County District Court requesting a new execution date for Mr. Roberson.
AG Paxton has actively sought Mr. Roberson’s execution and has publicly disputed his claims of innocence; his office recently took over Mr. Roberson’s case from Anderson County District Attorney Allyson Mitchell but has not publicly stated the reason for doing so.
Mr. Roberson was initially scheduled to be executed in October 2024; however, the Texas Supreme Court ultimately stayed the execution after state lawmakers subpoenaed Mr. Roberson to testify on a date after his scheduled execution.
Just a week after the Court stayed Mr. Roberson’s execution, AG Paxton’s office issued a press statement, the original autopsy report, and other records to “set the record straight” and “correct falsehoods” that he accused state lawmakers of making about Mr. Roberson.
In response to the claims from AG Paxton, a bipartisan group of legislators released their own report and characterized the AG’s report as “misleading and in large part simply untrue.”
Mr. Roberson was not able to testify in front of lawmakers, as the Office of the Attorney General intervened to prevent the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s compliance with the subpoena.
“Texans should be outraged that the court has scheduled an execution date for a demonstrably innocent man. Everyone who has taken the time to look at the evidence of Robert Roberson’s innocence — including the lead detective, one of the jurors, a range of highly qualified experts, and a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers — had reached the same conclusion: Nikki’s death was a terrible tragedy. Robert did not kill her. There was no crime.”
GRETCHEN SWEEN, ATTORNEY FOR ROBERT ROBERSON.
In February 2025, counsel for Mr. Roberson filed a successive habeas application with the TCCA, arguing that relief is required because new expert opinions and scientific advancements have emerged since October 2024, when the TCCA acknowledged in a similar case that the scientific foundation for “Shaken Baby Syndrome” (SBS) convictions lack reliability. Filings indicate this new evidence serves two-fold: rational jurors would not find Mr. Roberson guilty of capital murder today, and his conviction was materially influenced by scientific and medical evidence now considered outdated and unreliable. Counsel pointed to the TCCA’s decision in Ex Parte Roark, where the court overturned a murder conviction based on the SBS testimony of the same expert who testified against Mr. Roberson.
Mr. Roberson was convicted and sentenced to death in 2003 for the death of his daughter Nikki, who medical experts have since determined died from severe viral and bacterial pneumonia that doctors failed to diagnose, not from abuse or “Shaken Baby Syndrome” (SBS) as trial prosecutors alleged.
According to the National Registry of Exonerations, at least 41 parents and caregivers across 21 states and the military have been exonerated since 1992 after being wrongfully convicted based on the “Shaken Baby” hypothesis. If Mr. Roberson’s execution date goes forward, he would be the first person executed based on a “Shaken Baby” conviction."
The entire post 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;
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