John —

Melissa Lucio is facing execution on April 27 in Texas for a crime that never happened. In 2008, Melissa was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. This was done based on a biased and inadequate investigation into the child’s health history and death, and a shockingly poor defense. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Melissa has maintained her innocence for the past 14 years. Mariah tragically died in 2007, two days after accidentally falling down a flight of stairs. Police took Melissa into custody immediately, and even though she repeatedly told them that she did not kill or abuse her daughter, they continued to interrogate her for five hours. Around 3 a.m. on the night of her daughter’s death, Melissa, exhausted and in shock from the loss of her child, said, “I guess I did it,” and falsely took responsibility for some of Mariah’s injuries to get police to end the interrogation. In court, her words were misconstrued as a confession.

Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos presented Melissa’s statement to the jury as a “confession” to homicide and sought the death penalty — a “win” he thought would help him get re-elected. Melissa’s attorney failed to mount a proper defense or present evidence pointing to her innocence at trial and several judges agreed her trial was unfair.

John, the truth is that there is simply too much doubt in this case, and if we want to prevent Texas from executing an innocent person on April 27, we need people to speak out now.

Here are four things you can do to stop this irreversible injustice today:

1. Add your name to this petition to save Melissa. We need to generate enough support for Melissa’s case to convince Gov. Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole to stop her execution. [link removed]
2. If you live in the state of Texas, call the Cameron County District Attorney and ask him to withdraw Melissa’s execution date. If you aren’t from Texas, tell your friends and family who live in the state to take action. [link removed]
3. Spread Melissa’s story. Make a video, a post, or story about her case on Instagram, TikTok, or any other platform with the hashtag #SaveMelissaLucio. Not online? No problem, share her story via text, email, or in conversation.
4. Wear your support for Melissa and help bring attention to her case by purchasing Save Melissa Lucio gear. [link removed]

With your help, we’ll continue to fight for Melissa, bring awareness to all that she’s been through, and convince Governor Abbott to take action.

Thank you as always for your support,

— The Innocence Project Team


P.S. If you haven’t yet, please sign the petition calling on Texas to stop Melissa’s execution and prevent an irreversible injustice, then share it online with your friends and family:

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The Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. Founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, the organization is now an independent nonprofit. Our work is guided by science and grounded in antiracism.

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