What we know as fate of Texas death row inmate Robert Roberson’s testimony before a state legislative committee is uncertain

Death row inmate Robert Roberson is once again the subject of last-minute maneuvering as his scheduled testimony before a bipartisan group of Texas legislators Monday is shrouded in uncertainty just hours before it’s set to begin.

Death row inmate Robert Roberson is once again the subject of last-minute maneuvering as his scheduled testimony before a bipartisan group of Texas legislators Monday is shrouded in uncertainty – just hours before it’s set to begin. Roberson was scheduled to be executed last Thursday for the 2002 killing of his 2-year-old daughter Nikki Curtis – who allegedly died from shaken baby syndrome – a crime he and his advocates say did not happen. But the execution was halted after the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence issued a subpoena for Roberson to testify about his case, an unprecedented gambit that led to a partial stay of execution from the Texas Supreme Court. Texas law requires a judge to set a new execution date at least 90 days in the future, and Roberson’s attorney previously told CNN the earliest a new execution could be set would be next year. In the meantime, Roberson is scheduled Monday to speak with lawmakers considering the lawfulness of his case and whether it necessitates changes to a “junk science” law those in his corner feel should benefit Roberson. But how Roberson appears before the panel – and, perhaps, whether he testifies at all – is uncertain. Members of the committee, the inmate’s attorneys and the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton clashed over the weekend, with the attorney general seeking to limit Roberson to testifying virtually, despite expectations he would do so in person at the Capitol in Austin. At the same time, the attorney general and the committee were filing dueling motions with the Texas Supreme Court. In an order Sunday, the court said it was still considering arguments from both sides and set several deadlines for filing over the next several weeks.