Attorney General Ken Paxton has requested death row inmate Robert Roberson, whose execution date was delayed last year after his case became a political lightning rod, be executed on Oct. 16.
A hearing is set for 10 a.m. on Wednesday in the 3rd District Court in Palestine where Smith County District Judge Austin Reeve Jackson will decide whether to proceed with the Paxton's request.
"There is no justification for the Attorney General's relentless effort to kill an innocent human being -- and no state law or moral law that authorizes seeking an execution date under these circumstances," Gretchen Sween, Roberson's attorney, said in a new release last week.
Roberson was convicted of capital murder in 2003 for the death of his 2-year-old daughter Nikki, who was diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome. He has maintained his innocence over two decades on death row, debunks Nikki鈥檚 shaken baby diagnosis and shows that she died of severe illness worsened by prescribed medications that are no longer given to children.
Roberson faced an October execution date last year, but state lawmakers 鈥� some persuaded of his innocence and others convinced that the courts had not properly considered his appeals 鈥� managed to after subpoenaing Roberson to testify at a House committee meeting scheduled a few days after his execution date.
That triggered a between the state executive and legislative branches, leading to a Texas Supreme Court order that temporarily paused Roberson鈥檚 execution.
Paxton鈥檚 office took over the case in June after Anderson County District Attorney Allyson Mitchell requested it 鈥� an unusual move, according to a criminal defense attorney who requested anonymity because they are employed by the state.
The attorney general鈥檚 office generally does not have prosecutorial power in state court on criminal cases, unless a local prosecutor requests their involvement. That typically happens when prosecutors have a conflict of interest or lack the resources or expertise to handle a particular case.
But Mitchell had been deeply engaged in Roberson鈥檚 case for the past several years. Mitchell handled an evidentiary hearing for Roberson鈥檚 case in 2021, sought his October execution date and litigated his appeals. She also last year to answer questions about the case.
鈥淚 have never heard of the AG taking over a state court representation after the local DA鈥檚 office has been handling the case for years,鈥� Roberson鈥檚 attorney, Gretchen Sween, said. 鈥淭he AG鈥檚 office has not been involved in this case and plainly does not know the case in light of all of the shocking misrepresentations that were made in filings and press releases by that office when state lawmakers sought to use their subpoena power to hear from Robert directly.鈥�
After Roberson鈥檚 execution was delayed last year, Paxton continued to insist that the sentence should be carried out, and he by House lawmakers to bring Roberson to the Capitol for testimony. The attorney general鈥檚 office also put out a maintaining Roberson鈥檚 guilt and accusing the House committee of pursuing 鈥渆leventh-hour, one-sided, extrajudicial stunts that attempt to obscure the facts and rewrite his past.鈥�
In response to Paxton鈥檚 request 鈥� the state鈥檚 first move since the Texas Supreme Court delayed Roberson鈥檚 execution 鈥� a judge could set his new execution date for no sooner than three months from now.
In , Roberson鈥檚 attorneys argued that the district court was barred from scheduling a new execution date while Roberson has a pending appeal and 鈥渋f additional proceedings are necessary.鈥�
Roberson filed a new appeal in February that includes new expert opinions finding that Nikki鈥檚 and that the was flawed. Those conclusions support other medical and forensic opinions presented in Roberson鈥檚 previous appeals, which were repeatedly denied.
鈥淩obert Roberson is innocent,鈥� Sween said. 鈥淭he AG鈥檚 unjustified rush to seek an execution date while that new evidence of innocence is before the court is outrageous.鈥�
Roberson鈥檚 appeal also cites an October decision by Texas鈥� top criminal court of another man in a shaken baby case out of Dallas County. That decision recognized that the scientific consensus around had changed over the last two decades. Roberson鈥檚 attorneys called that case 鈥渕aterially indistinguishable鈥� from Roberson鈥檚.
Legislation this session to , which lawmakers and advocates argued was not being properly applied by the courts in Roberson鈥檚 case and others, died in the Senate after winning broad approval in the House. The junk science law, which Roberson tried repeatedly to use to win a new trial, is meant to provide justice in criminal cases whose convictions rest on since-discredited science.
鈥淟egislators across the entire political spectrum are certain Robert didn鈥檛 get a full and fair trial,鈥� state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, who chaired the House panel that led the effort to give Roberson a new trial, said in a statement to the Tribune. 鈥淢any of us believe he鈥檚 innocent. What I know is that we鈥檙e no closer to truth or fairness today than we were one year ago 鈥� all we鈥檝e added to this is politics, which should never have any role in our justice system.鈥�
This article originally appeared in at .
The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
