Execution of Man Potentially Wrongfully Imprisoned for 20 Years Delayed at Last Moment

us - The execution of a 57-year-old autistic man in the US was postponed at the last moment. Serious doubts had arisen about his guilt for the murder of his 2-year-old daughter.

The execution of Robert Roberson, who was convicted in 2003, was scheduled to take place on Thursday at 6 p.m. local time for the murder of his two-year-old daughter Nikki in 2002.

However, Roberson's attorneys argued that the girl did not die from shaken baby syndrome as previously believed, but from severe pneumonia that was exacerbated by incorrect medication that is now banned for children.

The lead investigator at the police department who arrested the man after his daughter's death is now convinced of his innocence and has unsuccessfully petitioned the judicial authorities multiple times for clemency.

After an evening of suspense, the Texas Supreme Court ultimately granted a request from members of a parliamentary committee to summon Robert Roberson for a hearing, in a last-ditch effort to delay the execution for the man.

A lower court judge had previously issued an order at the request of lawmakers prohibiting Texas authorities from executing Roberson before he could testify before the committee. However, an appeals court overturned that decision. The conservative US Supreme Court had also rejected the request for a delay.

Two US Congressmen, Joe Moody and Jeff Leach, expressed their relief over the postponement and stated, "For over twenty years, Robert Roberson spent 23.5 hours a day in solitary confinement, in a cell no larger than most Texans' closets. Throughout all that time, he sought to be heard. We look forward to welcoming him at the Texas Capitol and finally giving him and the truth a chance to be heard."