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Robert Roberson | |
|---|---|
 Undated photo of Robert Roberson | |
| Born | Robert Leslie Roberson III November 10, 1966 Wood County, Texas, U.S. |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Date | January 31, 2002 |
| Location(s) | Anderson County, Texas |
| Imprisoned at | Allan B. Polunsky Unit |
Robert Leslie Roberson III (born November 10, 1966) is an American man convicted and on death row for the murder of his two-year-old daughter in 2002. Roberson was accused of shaking his daughter and causing her death, and was tried and convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in 2003. He has lost his appeals since.[1][2]
Roberson's conviction was based on blunt force trauma through shaken baby syndrome, which has been argued by some to be "junk science", leading to controversy over the conviction.[3] In addition, Roberson's lawyers argued that his daughter had suffered from pneumonia which had progressed into sepsis by the time of her death.[4] However, the use of the 2013 "junk science law" as a defense was not successful. Roberson maintained his innocence throughout the appeal process. Roberson was scheduled to be executed on October 17, 2024,[5] but the Texas Supreme Court granted a stay of execution to allow his testimony before the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence.[6] However, the court ultimately refused to hear Roberson's testimony but allowed testimony from others, including a juror on the case who said that the new evidence would have led her to find Roberson "not guilty".[7]
- ^ "Texas' highest criminal court declines to stop execution of man accused in shaken baby case". The Texas Tribune. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ "Opinion: Texas may execute a man based on flawed science. Will Abbott intervene?". USA Today. 25 September 2024.
- ^ Moody, Joe (2024). "Response to OAG's Release about Robert Roberson Case" (PDF). Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
cnnsubpoenawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Texas set to execute man on discredited 'shaken baby syndrome' hypothesis". ABC News. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ Miles, J. D.; Jenkins, S. E. (17 October 2024). "Texas Supreme Court orders last-minute stay of execution for Robert Roberson". CBS News.
- ^ Moritz, Bayliss Wagner and John C. "Texas juror who voted to convict Robert Roberson: 'I would have found him not guilty'". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 8 November 2024.