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Texas woman on death row granted stay 2 days before execution date

Lucio was set to be executed on Wednesday
Texas Execution
Posted at 1:27 PM, Apr 25, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-25 14:27:33-04

A Texas woman who was set to be executed this week has been granted a stay of execution.

Melissa Lucio was convicted of killing her 2-year-old daughter in the South Texas town of Harlingen.

Lucio was sentenced to death in 2007, but the sentencing received pushback.

Five jurors asked the state and the governor to stop her execution and for her to get a new trial, saying they were not aware of all the facts when they convicted Lucio.

Lucio’s lawyers have also filed various legal appeals seeking to stop her execution.

They say evidence shows her daughter Mariah’s injuries were caused by a fall down a steep staircase.

Lucio was set to be executed Wednesday, but Texas Representative Jeff Leach said the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted the 52-year-old a stay of execution.

A lower court will now review Lucio’s claims that new evidence in her case would exonerate her. It was not immediately known when the lower court begin reviewing her case.