GATESVILLE, Texas — (GATESVILLE, Texas) -- A woman facing execution in Texas for killing her daughter is seeking clemency, claiming she was coerced into confessing to the crime.
Paramedics were called to Melissa Lucio's home in Harlingen, Texas, on Feb. 17, 2007, after her 2-year-old daughter Mariah Alvarez was found unresponsive and not breathing. Lucio told police Mariah fell asleep and did not wake up.
After the trial, in which the prosecution said that her daughter's injuries could have only been caused by abuse, Lucio was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death. Her husband and Mariah's father, Robert Alvarez, was sentenced to four years in prison for child endangerment. "The Innocence Project recognized the urgency that an innocent woman was headed for execution," Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation for the organization, told ABC News.
The application also states that the state medical examiner who performed Mariah's autopsy was told that Lucio admitted to abusing the girl and was accompanied by two of the interrogating officers during the autopsy. Abraham Bonowitz, co-founder and director of anti-death penalty advocacy group Death Penalty Action, said he believes that filmmaker Sabrina Van Tassel's Hulu documentary,"The State of Texas vs. Melissa," which follows Lucio as she appeals her case, speaks to her innocence. Death Penalty Action started the Free Melissa Lucio project shortly after Lucio was notified of her execution date.
"The ask is very specific. We're asking the governor and Board of Pardons and Paroles and the district attorney, which are the three [political] entities that can do something about this, to watch the film...because we believe anybody that watches this film will come away at least with doubt if not being convinced of Melissa's innocence," Bonowitz said.
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