John,

Today, attorneys for Robert Roberson, an innocent man on Texas’s death row, filed a brief in opposition to the Anderson County District Attorney’s request for an execution date.

Robert is an innocent father who has spent more than 20 years on Texas’s death row for a crime that never occurred. His conviction was based on the outdated and now debunked shaken baby hypothesis. New evidence shows that his daughter, Nikki, died of natural and accidental causes.

Unless the courts or Governor Greg Abbott intervenes, Robert would be the first person in the U.S. executed based on the discredited shaken baby hypothesis — we can’t let this happen.

Read more on Robert’s case and then help spread the word about this news on social media.

New evidence supports Robert’s claims of innocence. Even the former lead detective who helped prosecute Robert now believes no crime took place.

“I testified for the prosecution and helped send Mr. Roberson to death row in 2003. For over 20 years, I have thought that something went very wrong in Mr. Roberson’s case and feared that justice was not served. I have come to believe that Nikki died of accidental and natural causes and that there was no crime. I am convinced that Mr. Roberson is innocent,” said Brian Wharton, former Assistant Chief of the Palestine Police Department.

There is no question that medicine and science have evolved significantly since Robert was convicted and sentenced to death in 2003, and that the medical evidence presented at his trial that formed the centerpiece of his conviction would be considered flawed and unreliable today.

We can’t let Texas go forward with setting an execution date for an innocent person. Please help raise awareness about Robert’s case by sharing his story on social media today. 

Thank you for your support,

— The Innocence Project Team