Melissa Lucio: The first Latina to be executed in Texas

The case of Melissa Lucio, the Latina mother who will be executed by lethal injection on April 27 in Texas, has caused an international uproar as numerous activists, legislators, and human rights organizations insist that her execution be halted.

Lucio is accused of allegedly murdering her 2-year-old daughter Mariah in 2009 in Harlingen, Texas, 30 miles from the border with the Mexican city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, reported the Independent.

The 53-year-old Mexican-born woman has always pleaded not guilty, arguing that incomplete and distorted information was presented at the trial. However, she was sentenced to death.

"I am afraid, but afraid for my children. No one will be there to support them if the execution takes place," Lucio said in a recent interview with EFE.

Her family has appealed to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Greg Abbott to grant Lucio a stay of execution or commute her sentence.

Lucio would be the first Latina executed by Texas and the first woman since 2014. Only 17 women have been executed in the United States since the Supreme Court lifted the ban on the death penalty in 1976, according to Telemundo 51.

Details of the crime she was convicted for

On February 17, 2007, Melissa Lucio took her unconscious 2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez, to a hospital in Harlingen. Unfortunately, the child died at the hospital.  

Luego de examinar el cuerpo de la pequeña, se determinó que la causa del fallecimiento había sido un fuerte golpe en la cabeza. La niña presentaba moretones, una mordida en la espalda e incluso un brazo roto que no había sanado bien.

After examining the little girl's body, authorities determined that the cause of death was a severe blow to the head. In addition, the girl had bruises, a bite on her back, and a broken arm that had not healed properly.

From the beginning, authorities suspected child abuse in the case, therefore, proceeded to accuse Lucio of having beaten her daughter to death.

However, the organization The Innocence Project claimed the authorities did not consider that two days before her death, Mariah had fallen from a staircase with more than ten steps in the apartment where they were going to move into.

The documentary The State of Texas v. Melissa shows a moment of the interrogation in which the agents pressured Lucio for hours to accept responsibility for beating the girl. At the time, Lucio was pregnant with twins, whom she later gave up for adoption.

Spotlight on the case

The alleged irregularities in Lucio's trial came to light following the 2020 release of Sabrina Van Gassel's documentary The State of Texas vs. Melissa, which suggested that the girl's death may have resulted from an accident. Since then, celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and host John Olivier have called for a stay of execution.

The case also attracted the attention of 80 Texas state legislators, both Democrats and Republicans, who joined in sending a letter to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles calling for a commutation of the death sentence or an extension of the deadline to present new evidence, according to the Independent.