‘Governor Abbott, I Did Not Do This’: Texan in Death Row ‘Junk Science’ Case Pleads For His Life

UPDATE, Oct. 8, 3:55 p.m.:

Robert Roberson, the father who is scheduled to be put to death on Oct. 17, has been granted a hearing by the Anderson County District Court on a motion to vacate his execution warrant, his attorneys announced on Tuesday.

The motion to vacate alleges that a previous judge on Roberson’s sentencing, who reportedly issued the execution warrant without a hearing, “failed to follow the required statutory procedure” in his case. Judge Alfonso Charles, the Presiding Judge of the Tenth Administrative Judicial Region, will preside over the upcoming Oct. 15 hearing, which will take place two days before he’s set to die. Ultimately, Roberson’s attorneys argue that “powerful new medical and scientific evidence” shows his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki, was chronically ill and died from illness and medical error — not abuse.

Brian Wharton, the lead detective in charge of investigating Nikki’s death, has publicly denounced his scheduled execution, telling reporters he was “embarrassed” to have played a part in the prosecution and calling Roberson an “innocent” man. Wharton is expected to attend next Tuesday’s hearing in the town of Palestine.

In all, per his attorneys, “Mr. Roberson’s innocence claim is attracting widespread, diverse, and growing support, including from 34 eminent scientists and doctors, a bipartisan group of 86 Texas legislators, 8 advocates for parental rights, 8 organizations that advocate for people with autism and their families, faith leaders, innocence advocacy groups, former judges, 70 attorneys who have represented people wrongfully accused of child abuse, and best-selling novelist John Grisham.”

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Time is running out for Texas death row inmate Robert Roberson, who many believe was wrongly convicted on the basis of debunked “junk science,” and he’s pleading for Gov. Greg Abbott to pardon him.

In an interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt last week, Roberson, who was convicted for the murder of his two-year-old daughter, was heartbreakingly frank: “Governor Abbott, I did not do this and I’m just hoping and praying that you do the right thing.”

Attorneys for Roberson filed an emergency motion with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, seeking to halt his execution, which is scheduled for October 17, but the court declined to even consider the 300 pages his lawyers compiled. His last chance is the state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles — or the governor himself.

Roberson’s conviction has drawn international attention. At the time of his conviction, the Dallas County medical examiner said Roberson shook his child to death, but many — including the case’s original detectives and famed author John Grisham — now believe that to be a faulty conclusion.

Last month, a group of lawmakers went to Huntsville to raise awareness about Roberson, even praying with the convicted man. They were a small subsect of the more than 86 who signed a letter in support of a clemency petition for Roberson to the parole board. In the letter, they voiced “grave concern” that Texas was going to execute Roberson “for a crime that did not occur.” The lawmakers cited “voluminous new scientific evidence.”

As of now, though, Roberson is still headed to the death chamber in fewer than ten days.

Asked by Holt how he’s preparing for his execution, Roberson replied: “I’m at peace if it happens, but I’m not ready because I don’t think I should be executed when I’m innocent.”