Court Orders Delay of Execution in Texas Shaken Baby Case
The New York Times
Robert Roberson was set to be executed on Thursday evening for the death of his 2-year-old child. But state legislators obtained a last-minute court order postponing it.
Hours before the scheduled execution of Robert Roberson, a Texas man convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter, a state court ordered a temporary delay on Thursday after members of the State House argued that he should be allowed to testify at a legislative hearing on Monday.
The decision, from Judge Jessica Mangrum of Travis County, came in a hastily arranged, last-minute court hearing held by video conference. The judge granted a temporary restraining order, which could delay the execution for at least another few days.
But a lawyer for the state attorney general’s office suggested at the end of the hearing that the decision would be immediately appealed, and a ruling on that appeal could theoretically come within hours. The execution had been set to occur anytime between 6 p.m. and midnight local time.
“It’s incredible,” said Representative Lacey Hull, a Houston-area Republican. “I’m glad that the judge had the courage to do the right thing. I just hope that we see justice served.”
The execution by lethal injection, which had been set to occur at a prison in Huntsville, Texas, would be the first of a person convicted in a shaken baby case, death penalty experts said.
The case had been moving forward after the state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles denied a request for clemency for Mr. Roberson on Wednesday.
