On Friday, the Texas Supreme Court removed the stay of execution in the controversial death penalty case of Robert Roberson.
In a ruling that makes it clear that this is not about the criminal case of Roberson, the Supreme Court decided that the Texas House committee that wants to interview Roberson does not have the power to override the scheduled legal process leading to an execution.
Roberson was minutes from execution on Oct. 17 when the House Committee on Criminal Law issued a subpoena to require the condemned man's testimony. That caused the Supreme Court to issue a civil law stay of execution to resolve the novel issue: Can a House Committee interfere with a criminal matter?
The Court held the rule to not allow it. Members of the committee say Roberson appears to be innocent of charges that he shook his daughter to death in 2002. They wonder why the Texas Junk Science law wasn't applied to the Shaken Baby Syndrome.
It's not clear what if any legal avenues are left. It will now be up to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to reschedule an execution date.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up to receive our KRLD Insider Newsletter for more news
Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube