Another Texas death row inmate is getting some attention thanks to Kim Kardashian.
The celebrity has utilized her platform to provide support over the years. Melissa Lucio, a woman on death row for the killing of her 2-year-old daughter, is the beneficiary this time.
Lucio would be the state’s first Latina to face the death penalty. In 2008, she was found guilty.
Lucio’s 2-year-old daughter was discovered with bruises and bite marks in 2007. It was the worst case of child abuse that a pathologist had ever seen, she stated in court.
Lucio, who was on drugs at the time of the event, told authorities that her daughter had fallen down the stairs, according to court papers. She eventually acknowledged spanking her, albeit with some force.
Her supporters believe she was coerced into saying this, and they want the case reopened. The courts could order a new evidentiary hearing for Lucio to determine what evidence she doesn’t have and what evidence she does have to prove her innocence.
The Cameron County District Attorney has the option of postponing the execution and reinvestigating the case in order to free her.
Governor may award Lucio mercy!
Kardashian posted Lucio’s story on Twitter recently, pushing followers to sign a petition from the Innocence Project to stop the lethal injection scheduled for April 27.
“It’s stories like Melissa’s that drive me to speak out so forcefully about the death penalty in general and why it should be abolished when innocent people suffer,” Kardashian said.
Kardashian has also written to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, pleading with him to halt the execution.
The capital penalty is legal in 27 states, with Texas having the most executions in the US. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, 573 individuals have been executed in Texas since 1982.
Former Texas Governor Rick Perry, who holds the record for governor executions, was responsible for 279 of them. Inmate Thomas Whitaker is on death row, and Abbott has granted him clemency.
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Kardashian has become a vocal supporter of criminal justice reform. She has already spoken out about other Texas death row inmates, such as Rodney Reed and Ruben Gutierrez.
