Stop the Oct. 16 Execution of Robert Roberson
12/19/23, Livingston, Texas: Robert Roberson photographed through plexiglass at TDCJ Polunsky Unit. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Innocence Project
Robert faces execution despite new evidence that he is an innocent man wrongly convicted under the now-debunked “shaken baby” syndrome hypothesis
Despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence, a Texas judge just scheduled Robert Roberson’s execution for October 16, 2025.
Robert, a father with autism, was sentenced to death in 2003 for the tragic passing of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki. At trial, prosecutors claimed she died from “shaken baby syndrome” — a theory that’s since been widely discredited by the medical and scientific community.
To date, no court has substantively reviewed the mountain of evidence proving that the tragic 2002 death of Robert’s chronically ill toddler daughter, Nikki, resulted from illness, medical error, and accident — none of which was Robert’s fault.
Last year, Robert came within hours of execution before a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers stepped in to save his life. His case is still under review by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — yet the state is pushing forward with an execution anyway.
If this execution goes forward, Robert will be the first person in U.S. history executed based on the debunked shaken baby theory.
We still have time to stop this. Add your name now to demand Texas halt the execution of an innocent man.
Watch
Latest news:
- Judge sets execution date for Texas inmate Robert Roberson
- After rare stay, Robert Roberson gets new execution date in shaken baby syndrome case
- Robert Roberson Will Not Be Executed in Texas Tonight
- Original Detective Wants to Free Man Facing Death for ‘Shaken Baby’ (The Appeal)
- Will Texas Kill This Innocent Man?
- When the science crumbles, Texas law says a conviction could, too. That rarely happens. (Texas Tribune)
- Retired detective: We got it wrong in Robert Roberson’s death penalty case
Robert Roberson legal team asks Court of Criminal Appeals for new trial in death penalty case (Yahoo! News) - Texas May Execute a Man Based on a Scrapped Medical Theory (Wallstreet Journal)
- He’s Facing Execution For His Daughter’s Death. Now, Science Suggests It Was An Accident. (The Marshall Project)