John —

Yesterday, CBS Morning News highlighted the case of Melissa Lucio, a mother of 12 who’s scheduled to be executed in Texas on April 27 for the murder of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah — a crime that never occurred.

“If they go through with it, they will be killing an innocent woman,” said Bobby Alvarez, Melissa’s son.

Take a moment to watch the segment, and then share it with your friends and family online to spread the news about Melissa’s case.

Mariah tragically died after an accidental fall down a flight of stairs as the family was in the process of moving homes. Police took her into custody immediately, and aggressively questioned her for more than five hours using coercive tactics.

“Over 100 times she asserted her innocence — they refused to listen to her, sending the clear message that this interrogation wasn’t going to stop until she told the officers what they wanted to hear,” said Vanessa Potkin, attorney for Melissa and Director of Special Litigation at the Innocence Project.

They tried to paint Melissa as a violent mother, but thousands of records from Child Protective Services show that she was never violent toward any of her children, and jurors never heard testimony from any of her children during the trial. “There’s been just a concerted effort to keep this evidence from being considered for years,” said Tivon Shardl, Capital Habeas Unit Chief or Federal Defender for the Western District of Texas, attorney for Melissa.​​​​​

Please, watch the CBS Morning News segment, and then share Melissa’s story on social media to spread the word.

Thank you so much,

— The Innocence Project Team