Texas Lawmakers Pray With Robert Roberson and Urge Clemency to Stop Oct.17 Execution 

Robert Roberson, who has been on death row for over two decades following the tragic death of his two-year-old daughter, Nikki, is at the center of a growing movement calling for justice. 

Over the years, new evidence and scientific advancements have cast serious doubt on his conviction, prompting many to argue that his case was mishandled, that he deserves a new trial, and that there is in fact overwhelming evidence that his daughter died of natural and accidental causes.

As Mr. Roberson’s Oct. 17 execution date approaches, support for his clemency continues to build including from 34 eminent scientists and doctors, advocates for parental rights and autism, faith leaders, innocence advocacy groups, former judges, attorneys, and best-selling novelist John Grisham. Brian Wharton, the former lead detective in charge of investigating Nikki’s death who directed that Mr. Roberson be arrested based on a doctor’s shaken baby hypothesis made even before an autopsy was performed, and who testified for the prosecution at trial, has come to believe Mr. Roberson is innocent.

This support took a significant step forward recently when a bipartisan group of Texas state legislators visited Mr. Roberson on death row in Livingston. These representatives, who were part of a group of 86 lawmakers, sent a letter to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles requesting clemency, met with Mr. Roberson personally to pray with him and express their concerns about his case. Following the visit, the lawmakers called for immediate action to halt his execution and grant him a fair retrial based on new evidence of his innocence.