Texas appeals court rejects innocence ruling for death row inmate Melissa Lucio

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has rejected a bid by Melissa Lucio to overturn her 2008 conviction and death sentence for the capital murder of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah. The decision reverses a lower court’s 2024 ruling that had concluded Lucio was “actually innocent.”

Lucio’s defense argued that the child’s fatal head trauma resulted from an accidental fall down stairs rather than abuse, a claim supported by new scientific evidence. The lower court had also found that prosecutors suppressed evidence and presented false testimony. However, the appeals court majority ruled that the lower court’s findings relied too heavily on Lucio’s interpretation of the evidence rather than the prosecution’s case.

The decision was sharply divided; four judges dissented from the majority opinion. In 2022, the same court had stayed Lucio’s execution to allow for a review of her claims. Lucio’s attorneys have stated they intend to appeal the case to federal courts.