BEAUMONT, Texas — A number of state officials believe that a Texas mother on death row was not given a fair trial and are happy with a decision to pause her execution.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued a stay of Melissa Lucio's execution. Lucio’s execution was set for Wednesday, April 27, 2022.
The Texas mother was overcome with emotion after learning the news from State Representative Jeff Leach.
"Oh my god, that is wonderful,” Melissa Lucio said.
Lucio was found guilty in 2007 for the murder of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. Melissa Lucio’s oldest son, John Lucio, thanked everyone who has supported his mother.
“We have the whole world pleading for my mother, and I just want to give a big thank you to everybody," John Lucio said. "We send our love. My mother sends her prayers to everybody. She sends her love to everybody."
John Lucio is not alone in his beliefs that the right decision was made on Monday. Representatives across the state felt the execution should be halted.
Representative James Whites said he is a staunch supporter of the Texas criminal justice system and believes in death penalty. However, concerning Melissa Lucio's case, he feels there are signals that show she was unfairly tried.
"There's some serious concerns about false evidence being introduced in court, evidence being withheld from defense attorneys,” Representative White said. “There's evidence in the right science not being applied."
Representative White said he is not here to judge the innocence or guilt of Lucio, but he has been pushing against her execution for a while.
Lucio’s supporters believe the court of appeals made the right decision. Due to this decision, the Cameron County district court will now review new evidence.
Lucio’s lawyers believe the evidence will prove her innocence.
Officials said Melissa Lucio was given the death penalty, but her husband only received a four-year sentence. Concerning the death penalty, Representative White said there are no gray areas.
"If we're going to send someone to the death chamber, not only do we owe it to the constitution, not only do we owe it to the people of Texas, but we owe it to those men and women in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice who have to execute, actually do the execution,” White said.
The county court will review Lucio’s claims to determine if she will get a new trial. It is unclear when the next hearing will happen in Cameron County.
In the meantime, Melissa Lucio is thanking her supporters for rallying and giving her more time.
"Grateful to have more days to be a mother to my children, and a grandmother to my grandchildren," Melissa Lucio said.
