The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted the execution of Robert Roberson Thursday morning.
The order was issued one week before Roberson’s execution was scheduled at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville. Roberson was sentenced to death after he was convicted of capital murder in the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter Nikki.
His legal team has argued that Nikki was misdiagnosed with shaken baby syndrome. Testimony from medical experts cited by the defense suggests that the child died from severe viral and bacterial pneumonia, exacerbated by prescribed dangerous medications, rather than abuse.
Roberson’s defense contends that he has spent 22 years on death row as an innocent man. They also highlight that Roberson, who dropped out of school after the 9th grade as a special education student, has autism spectrum disorder.
The court’s ruling specifically sends Roberson’s case back to the trial court and instructs the judge to weigh the case in light of a similar case.
In 2024, the Court of Criminal Appeals sent the case of Andrew Roark back to the trial court; He was convicted of injury to a child and sentenced to 35 years in prison based on a shaken baby syndrome diagnosis. The next month, the Dallas County District Attorney exonerated Roark.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
