Texas Supreme Court halts execution of man in shaken baby case after lawmakers' last-minute appeal

HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works to News@lemmy.world – 129 points –
Texas Supreme Court halts execution of man in shaken baby case after lawmakers' last-minute appeal
apnews.com

The Texas Supreme Court halted Thursday night’s scheduled execution of a man who would have become the first person in the U.S. put to death for a murder conviction tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.

The late-night ruling to spare for now the life of Robert Roberson, who was convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter in 2002, capped a flurry of last-ditch legal challenges and weeks of public pressure from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who say he is innocent and was sent to death row based on flawed science.

12

The phrase "shadow of a doubt" looms large here.

From what I've read about the case, it's more like a 'tarp blocking the sun of doubt.'

He still shook the baby. (Read the article) so life in prison is fine by me.

Been watching the updates on Houston News, from the sound of it this is just a futal scramble to make up a reason because the diagnosing doctor has had more than a decade to have a change of heart. It's going to go through soon enough.

The dude shook a baby. Pneumonia or not, the child died of being shaken by this walmart brand Steve Buscemi looking fuck. His life, in my eyes, is null and void the second she died.

Happy to murder women for miscarriages and black people for sport, but wont put down actual baby killer.

Jesus, please just get out of my country.

Did anyone tell you that his daughter had recurrent health issues, and had two forms of pneumonia at the time of her death, either one of which could have caused the symptoms that the hospital thought could have indicated "shaken baby syndrome"?

No? Actually, nobody told the jury at his trial, as well. This case was a mockery of justice from the start.

Every time I look into Shaken baby syndrome I find plenty of people with real medical credentials say either it doesn't exist, or it could exist but there are other much more likely causes of death that share similar evidence. That leave plenty of doubt in my mind and thus I can never convict anyone of it.

Tell me you didn't read the article without telling me you didn't read the article. Shaken baby syndrome was fabricated by a handful of iffy doctors and has never been substantiated. Child abuse prosecutors have clung to it and propped it up because it makes for (inaccurate) open and shut convictions. Very few symptoms in the medical field are as cut and dry as what SBS claims is true.

Bad take. Maybe read about the specifics of this case before making such a bold claim. I believe even the arresting officer is haunted by basically ending this man's life

Precisely, this isn't a "we might have new evidence to prove his innocence", it's a "the accuser is having second thoughts".

It's just a delay of the inevitable, there's zero chance it doesn't go through.

Capital punishment is barbaric. Would you please just get out of my country.