Robert Roberson he was sentenced to death in 2003. The 57-year-old was then found guilty the death of his two-year-old daughter Nikkiwhose autopsy revealed that she died as a result of injuries inflicted in an act of violence.
Roberson and his lawyers have maintained from the beginning that the child died as a result injuries after pneumoniahowever, prosecutors still insisted on their version of events. She said that the father murdered the two-year-old.
USA. He was to be executed. The court canceled the execution
The 57-year-old was scheduled to receive the lethal injection on Thursday at 6 p.m. local time. 90 minutes Before the execution, however, the judge, at the request of the Texas attorney general, stayed the execution of the sentence so that Roberson could testify at the hearing next week.
Additionally, a bipartisan group of 86 state lawmakers, medical and scientific experts, lawyers and even people who support the death penalty called for an end to the execution.
A lot of people argued that the verdict was based on outdated scientific methodsrespected before the new circumstances of the “Shaken Baby Syndrome” were established.
Roberson's attorneys also alleged that his alleged autism – which had not been diagnosed at the time of Nikki's death – was to be used against him when police and medical staff became suspicious of his lack of emotion.
The Robert Roberson case. Important evidence was omitted
Supporters of the convicted man include Brian Wharton, the lead detective who investigated his case.
– I will always be haunted by the role I played in helping the state putting this innocent man on death row. “Robert's case will remain a burden on my heart and soul,” Wharton told The Associated Press.
According to the 57-year-old, his daughter she fell off the bed January 31, 2002. A few hours later the man would realize that the girl is not breathing and take her to the emergency room, where she was pronounced dead.
Court documents show that medical staff immediately suspected abuse because of bruises on his head, swelling in his brain and bleeding behind his eyes.
The next day, Roberson was arrested and charged with murder. An autopsy showed that the death was due to head injury resulting from being hit with a blunt instrument. However, lawyers noted that Nikki was prescribed medications that are no longer given to children because they can cause serious complications. They argued that the drugs and the fall may have ultimately led to her death.
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