Robert Roberson, the Texas man whose execution was halted by the state Supreme Court, is expected to testify today before a legislative panel (article available here).
Roberson, 57, was set to become the first person in the U.S. executed for a shaken baby syndrome murder conviction before the court intervened late Thursday night in a dramatic turn of events. Roberson maintains he did not kill his daughter.
That ruling came after a rollercoaster legal ordeal in which the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals earlier Thursday night denied a motion for a stay of execution, reversing a temporary order granted by Travis County Judge Jessica Mangrum. That state appeals court ruling was in response to an appeal from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of Mangrum's ruling.
Roberson issued a statement after his late-night stay of execution by the Texas Supreme Court, praising God and thanking his supporters.
Roberson was convicted in the 2002 death of his daughter, who was thought to have died from being violently shaken. However, it was later revealed she likely died from pneumonia. It has also been revealed that symptoms of Roberson's autism were used against him during the investigation. The courts never considered this new evidence.
Lawmakers are now seeking to reexamine the controversial medical theory that played a pivotal role in his conviction.
The Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence of the Texas House of Representatives will start hearing testimony at noon Central Time Monday. A live video broadcast of this hearing will be available here: https://house.texas.gov/video-audio/.