Overview

• Smith County Judge Austin Reeve Jackson issued the execution warrant on July 16 at the request of Attorney General Ken Paxton.
• Roberson was convicted in 2003 for his toddler daughter’s 2002 death based on a shaken baby syndrome diagnosis that experts now deem junk science.
• Defense attorneys objected to the scheduling, citing a pending appeal before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and fresh pathologist reports that question the homicide ruling.
• Last October, a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers secured a last-minute stay by subpoenaing Roberson, prompting a Texas Supreme Court intervention.
• If carried out, Roberson would be the first person in the United States executed on a conviction tied solely to shaken baby syndrome.