Overview
- Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion in Anderson County to set a new execution date for Robert Roberson, who was convicted in 2002 of capital murder.
- Roberson’s lawyers argue his conviction rested on discredited shaken baby syndrome science and cite new evidence suggesting his daughter died of natural causes such as pneumonia.
- The inmate’s October 2024 execution was stayed after the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence subpoenaed him to testify and the state Supreme Court allowed that review.
- In an unusual step, Paxton’s office took over prosecution from the local district attorney and contends that previous denials by the Court of Criminal Appeals meet the criteria to schedule an execution.
- Roberson’s defense team is pressing the newly constituted Court of Criminal Appeals to reconsider fresh evidence and grant a retrial to establish his innocence.