{"id":115670,"date":"2024-10-18T19:41:56","date_gmt":"2024-10-18T12:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=115670"},"modified":"2024-10-18T19:41:56","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T12:41:56","slug":"robert-roberson-the-11th-hour-race-to-save-a-texas-death-row-inmate-from-execution-in-shaken-baby-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=115670","title":{"rendered":"Robert Roberson: The 11th-hour race to save a Texas death row inmate from execution in \u2018shaken baby\u2019 case"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-editable=\"content\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-reorderable=\"content\">\n<p>\n    <cite class=\"source__cite\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"source__location\" data-editable=\"location\"\/><br \/>\n      <span class=\"source__text\" data-editable=\"source\">CNN<\/span><br \/>\n        \u00a0\u2014\u00a0<br \/>\n    <\/cite>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2e31u3w001x2cql5phv4kq5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Texas death row inmate Robert Roberson sat praying in a cell Thursday night, just feet from the execution chamber where he was set to die by lethal injection for the \u201cshaken baby\u201d death of his toddler.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ekeb5j00013b6mtivv1nbm@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            While he prayed, the state and his advocates were fighting over his fate in a\u00a0remarkable exchange of 11th-hour legal maneuvers.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2e90gt1000z3b6j3yjmh1ik@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Roberson\u2019s life was ultimately spared, for now, by the Texas Supreme Court, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/10\/17\/us\/robert-roberson-texas-execution-lawfulness\/index.html\">issued a temporary stay<\/a> of his execution shortly before his death warrant was set to expire at midnight.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2eakeu4001t3b6jo1da7f8q@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            A new date must now be set for Roberson\u2019s execution, providing precious time for his attorneys and a bipartisan group of Texas House members who believe he was wrongfully convicted of murder in the death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki, which was attributed to shaken baby syndrome.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ejvq4t00003b6m2jikbjp1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Shock washed over Roberson as a group of Texas officials informed him of the stay Thursday night, and he began to praise God and \u201cclaimed his innocence,\u201d just as he has done for the past two decades, according to Amanda Hernandez, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2eaxn37001y3b6js8npg2c2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The dramatic turn began Wednesday when, in an unusual last-ditch effort to delay Roberson\u2019s death, the bipartisan Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/10\/16\/us\/robert-roberson-texas-execution-advocates\">issued a subpoena<\/a> calling for him to testify before the panel next week as it reconsiders the lawfulness of his case.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2eb7t2s00233b6j6gi62v2i@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The committee\u2019s action provided new hope for Roberson\u2019s attorneys as all other avenues to halt the execution failed. In a matter of days, his legal team lost multiple appeals in state courts, the Texas pardons board rejected his bid for clemency and the US Supreme Court declined to intervene.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ed96pt005g3b6j2xi131u2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThe vast team fighting for Robert Roberson \u2013 people all across Texas, the country, and the world \u2013 are elated tonight that a contingent of brave, bipartisan Texas lawmakers chose to dig deep into the facts of Robert\u2019s case that no court had yet considered and recognized that his life was worth fighting for,\u201d Roberson\u2019s attorney, Gretchen Sween said Thursday night.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ec13f500383b6jy4h5fc0h@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Just over 90 minutes before Roberson\u2019s execution was set to begin, the House committee was able to secure a temporary restraining order against the state, pausing the execution. The victory was short-lived, however, as a divided Texas Court of Criminal Appeals struck down the order.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ecbdom003k3b6j2tfzh5ye@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Following the appeals court\u2019s decision, the House committee asked the Texas Supreme Court to issue an injunction against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and Texas Department of Criminal Justice Correctional Institutions Division. Though the high court swiftly issued a temporary stay halting the execution, the petition for the injunction is still pending.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ebr845002s3b6jldy13880@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cFor over 20 years, Roberson has spent 23.5 hours of every single day in solitary confinement in a cell no bigger than the closets of most Texans, longing and striving to be heard,\u201d said committee members Rep. Joe Moody and Rep. Jeff Leach in a joint statement following the stay. \u201cAnd while some courthouses may have failed him, the Texas House has not.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2echjmp003r3b6jn940wm4g@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            As the volley of legal challenges played out, Roberson sat in a cell of the Huntsville Unit where his execution was set to take place. He spent time in prayer and also spoke several times to his wife and other family members, according to his sister-in-law, Jennifer Roberson.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2eci9dr003u3b6jndl3gdl7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cWhen we spoke to Robert earlier, I was thinking to myself, \u2018You need to be strong, you need to comfort him.\u2019 And that\u2019s the exact opposite of what happened,\u201d she said. \u201cI was a nervous wreck and he was comforting me, telling me to be obedient to God, stay strong, keep the faith, keep the hope.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ecmhk3003x3b6jltqqb6wu@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Roberson\u2019s family is feeling \u201camazing\u201d after the stay, Jennifer Roberson said. \u201cIt\u2019s taken almost 22 years for Texas to step up and do the right thing.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ecpgq900423b6jxjlaaea6@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Among those desperately waiting for news in the case was Brian Wharton, the former Palestine, Texas, detective who led the investigation into Nikki\u2019s death. Wharton has since said the investigation was too narrowly focused and has joined the fight to save Roberson.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ecx4w600513b6jawum9o7m@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cFinally, this evening, they did come and tell us that he got a stay, and his wife started crying, and everybody else just kind of took a deep breath. Because we all know he\u2019s innocent,\u201d Wharton told CNN Thursday. \u201cWe\u2019ve been fighting this fight for a while and trying to get a fair hearing.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ed1ttd00543b6jc5mk7q01@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Roberson is scheduled to testify before the House committee on Monday, or possibly sooner if ordered by the court.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ed4vzs00573b6jomgu7hcu@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cWe look forward to welcoming Robert to the Texas Capitol, and along with 31 million Texans, finally giving him \u2013 and the truth \u2013 a chance to be heard,\u201d Reps. Moody and Leach said in their statement.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ebrjpn002w3b6jjm52pnwo@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            CNN has reached out to the offices of Texas Gov.\u00a0Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for comment on the court\u2019s decision.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ebuyx9002z3b6jtvf6pyeb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Advocates for Roberson insist the diagnosis that his daughter died from shaken baby syndrome is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/10\/16\/us\/robert-roberson-texas-execution-advocates\">inaccurate<\/a> and has been discredited.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2edetzd005k3b6j7x5szzr4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The Texas House committee voted to subpoena Roberson as it considers the application of a law commonly referred to as the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasbar.com\/AM\/Template.cfm?Section=articles&amp;Template=\/CM\/HTMLDisplay.cfm&amp;ContentID=47776\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cjunk science writ\u201d<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 which opened a path for people to challenge their convictions if new scientific evidence has emerged since their trial.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ect518004e3b6j5uci8r41@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The lawmakers said medical evidence presented at Roberson\u2019s 2003 trial \u201cis inconsistent with modern scientific principles.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ect8uk004g3b6j7z31dtby@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            While child abuse pediatricians remain firm on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpeds.com\/article\/S0022-3476(16)30402-4\/fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">validity of the shaken baby syndrome diagnosis<\/a>, Roberson\u2019s attorneys say there is ample evidence his daughter, Nikki Curtis, did not die of child abuse.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ectaou004i3b6jiua6mal9@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            At the time of her death, she had double pneumonia that had progressed to sepsis, and she was prescribed two medications now seen as inappropriate for children that would have further hindered her ability to breathe, they argue, citing medical experts.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ecthuu004k3b6jj5z3vdjn@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Additionally, she had fallen off a bed, and was particularly vulnerable in her sickly condition, Roberson\u2019s attorneys say.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ectjkr004m3b6jo22qio41@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Other factors, too, contributed to his conviction, they argue. Doctors treating Nikki \u201cpresumed\u201d abuse based on her symptoms and common thinking at the time of her death without exploring her recent medical history, the inmate\u2019s attorneys claim. His behavior in the emergency room \u2013 viewed as uncaring by doctors, nurses and the police, who believed it a sign of his guilt \u2013 was actually a manifestation of autism spectrum disorder, which went undiagnosed until 2018, according to his attorneys.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ectpgw004o3b6j07209d4k@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Roberson\u2019s attorneys are not disputing babies can and do die from being shaken. But they contend more benign explanations, including illness, can mimic the symptoms of shaking, and those alternative explanations should be ruled out before a medical expert testifies with certainty that the cause of death was abuse.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ecty29004q3b6j6w0eiiyn@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Shaken baby syndrome is accepted as a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/publications.aap.org\/aapnews\/news\/8666\/Despite-Media-Reports-Most-Doctors-Don-t-Dispute\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">valid diagnosis<\/a>\u00a0by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/publications.aap.org\/pediatrics\/article\/145\/4\/e20200203\/36936\/Abusive-Head-Trauma-in-Infants-and-Children\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a>\u00a0and supported by child abuse pediatricians who spoke with CNN. The condition, first described in the mid-1970s, has for the past 15 or so years been considered a type of \u201cabusive head trauma\u201d \u2013 a broader term used to reflect actions other than shaking, like an impact to a child\u2019s head.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ecu10l004s3b6j1776euuw@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Criminal defense lawyers also have oversimplified how doctors diagnose abusive head trauma, child abuse pediatricians say, noting many factors are considered to determine it.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ecugny004w3b6j4thlctsy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThe conclusion is simply (Nikki) was a victim of abusive head trauma. Unequivocally,\u201d Dr. Sandeep Narang, a child abuse pediatrician and a lawyer, told CNN after he said he was asked by a supporter of Roberson\u2019s defense to review trial testimony in the case.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2efb5f300023b6mwgvevzzw@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Still, the diagnosis has been the focus of debates in courtrooms across the country. Since 1992, courts in at least 17 states and the US Army have exonerated 32 people convicted in shaken baby syndrome cases, according to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.umich.edu\/special\/exoneration\/Pages\/detaillist.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the National Registry of Exonerations<\/a>.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2ecuaxw004u3b6j8ypn6tbn@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Child abuse pediatricians like Dr. Antoinette Laskey, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics\u2019 Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, dispute these statistics. She pointed to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/34743053\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a 2021 paper<\/a>\u00a0that found just 3% of all convictions in shaken baby syndrome cases between 2008 and 2018 were overturned, and only 1% of them were overturned because of medical evidence.\n    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/10\/18\/us\/robert-roberson-texas-execution-stay-friday\/index.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CNN \u00a0\u2014\u00a0 Texas death row inmate Robert Roberson sat praying in a cell Thursday night, just feet from the execution chamber where he was set to die by lethal injection &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=115670\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=115670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115670\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=115670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=115670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=115670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}