Texas inmate Melissa Lucio’s death sentence should be overturned, judge says

By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — A judge has recommended that the conviction and death sentence of Texas inmate Melissa Lucio should be overturned. Lucio’s execution was delayed in 2022 amid growing doubts she fatally beat her 2-year-old daughter. Friday’s recommendation by senior state District Judge Arturo Nelson comes amid findings by prosecutors and Lucio’s attorneys that evidence in her murder trial was suppressed. Nelson’s recommendation has been sent to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which will make the final decision on whether Lucio’s conviction and death sentence are overturned. Lucio’s execution in April 2022 for the death of her daughter in Harlingen was halted two days before it was set to proceed.