Frank's attorneys introduced the testimony of psychiatrists who said that possible traumatic events in Frank's childhood could have affected her behavior at the time of the murders and she may have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, there are nearly 200 inmates on death row in Texas. It is a very unjust system you may well be on death row because you have a court-appointed attorney who doesnt have the means to defend you and a district attorneys office who has all the means in the world to get you convicted. They also argued that a judge's order to exclude expert testimony on the effects of trauma had "deprived Melissa of the only means she had of explaining that, notwithstanding her demeanor and self-incriminating statements, she was innocent of her daughter's murder. 8. After midnight on March 4, 1995, Frank and Lacaze visited Kim Anh, a Vietnamese restaurant run by the Vu family in New Orleans East. On February 21, she was sentenced to death by lethal injection. Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald, via Associated Press Sentenced to the death penalty, her execution is scheduled for April 27 at the Huntsville Penitentiary.. As the deadline nears, her attorneys have asked the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles . They said that the evidence against Lucio is troubling and that they at least want a stay of execution. Frank and Lacaze had been shouting at Ha and Cuong, demanding the restaurant's money, but they did not know where Chau had hidden it. In November of 2020, TV One debuted a movie inspired by Antoinette Frank called Blood On Her Badge Archived November 24, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. [4], Mariah Alvarez was born to Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez in September 2004. Antoinette Renee Frank (born April 30, 1971) is a former officer of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) who, on March 4, 1995, committed a violent armed robbery at a restaurant which resulted in the killing of two members of the Vietnamese-American family who ran the establishment, and fellow NOPD officer Ronald A. Williams II. The state supreme court ruled on the case again. Williams was a colleague of Frank who had been working as the security guard that night to supplement his policeman's salary. Her brother Rene movingly describes her childhood traumas and problems with addiction. Frank refused to discuss anything regarding the murders - every time the investigator asked her a question, she told him to "look it up in the record" or asserted her innocence. Were not saying Miss Lucio is innocent, were not saying shes guilty, were saying for the board to provide her some clemency, so we can get her into a trial, said State Rep James White. The filmmaker added that it is hard to imagine how traumatic a death sentence is for a family and the collateral damage it creates. [11][12] A pathologist, Dr. Norma J. Farley, testified that the childs autopsy indicated that she did not die from falling down stairs, and instead her injuries were consistent with a death from blunt force trauma. Whats more, the district attorney involved in her case was in prison for bribery and extortion. "[12], Police and prosecutors believe that the skull was that of Adam Frank, and that Antoinette murdered him. According to author Chuck Hustmyre, Frank was caught lying on several sections of her employment application and failed two standard psychiatric evaluations, with psychiatrist Philip Scurria advising against her hiring. [17] However, yet another lower court state judge, ruled in October 2010 that Marullo had to be recused from the Frank and Lacaze cases because it was unclear if he had been open with the defense teams about his own surprising connection to the gun used in the restaurant murders. The second allegedly mistreated her 2-year-old daughter. September 27, 2021. The association between Frank and Lacaze became noticeable after other police officers witnessed Lacaze driving her car, and even observed him moving her police unit at the scene of an accident she was investigating. Lynn Marie Gracey, a private investigator who worked on Melissas appeal, remarks about Gilman: I think the guy knew that he sabotaged the case so bad that he didnt want anybody to rework it, re-investigate it. Esperanza Trevio, surrounded by family and friends, asked for the release of Lucio, her daughter, who is scheduled to be executed in April in Texas. The speakers at Thursday's press conference included Reps. Jeff Leach (R-Allen) and Joe Moody (D-El Paso), who co-chair the Texas House Criminal Justice Reform Caucus and who were recently appointed as chair and vice-chair, respectively, of the Interim Study Committee on Criminal Justice Reform. 18 by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/preludes/Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/The Voyage by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Artist: http://audionautix.com/https://youtu.be/NaxBDflXv6o#DeathRowUsa #MarleyRecords #WomenOnDeathRow We also discuss breaking news of the confirmed date for Lisa Montgomery's execution, Eric Menendez's retrial, and why the new Netflix documentary film American . The investigator also questioned Frank about trying to buy 9mm ammunition for Lacaze at Walmart on the day before the Kim Anh murders, but stated that she was a police officer and that there was nothing wrong with her buying ammunition. AUSTIN, Texas A bipartisan group of lawmakers held a press conference at the Texas Capitol on Thursday to discuss their support of clemency or a reprieve for Melissa Lucio. [9][23] The Mexican Ambassador to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma, announced on April 22 that he sent a letter to Governor Abbott asking him to grant executive clemency to Lucio, as "Mexico has historically manifested an unwavering commitment in its opposition to the death penalty. Many potential applicants were shut out due to a requirement that all officers be residents of New Orleans a requirement that was only changed in 2014. Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh . Antoinette Frank is on Louisiana death row for the murders of three people including a fellow police officer. The United Kingdom contends in its amicus curiae brief[23] in the US Supreme Court that it regards the US as having breached its obligations under international law. Stream our library of shows and movies without ad interruptions. Woman on Death Row at 16 Released From Prison 48:09 San Quentin State Prison - Dangerous Death Row Inmates 57:54 48:13 42:28 Death Row : The Final 24 Hours (Documentary) Bonnieevans 4:57 Teenmaar Chaandravva Interaction With Devotees At Vemulawada Temple _ Maha Shivaratri _ V6 Teenmaar TIME May 15, 2018. It was later determined that Mariah's arm had been broken two to seven weeks before her death, and an autopsy also showed a head injury and bruising of the kidneys, lungs and spinal cord. [3] Lucio says she was sexually abused by her mother's boyfriend for about two years, beginning when she was seven years old. [26] The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has the option to recommend clemency to the Governor of Texas. ITV is looking into the unique story of Linda Carty in a new one-off documentary, British Grandma on Death Row with Susanna Reid. Frank had taken a statement from Lacaze after he was shot on the street, and initially got closer to him in hopes of turning his life around. In 2008, Lucio became the first Latina woman sentenced to death in Texas. A former detective said she's taking hormones and has petitioned for gender reassignment surgery. Earlier this month, the popular HBO show "Last Week Tonight". [3][4] Carty claimed she was framed by her co-defendants who were drug dealers[5] because she had previously been an informant. As the employees cleaned the closed restaurant, Chau Vu went into the kitchen to count money and entered the dining room of the restaurant to pay Ronald A. Williams II. Louisiana state Judge Laurie White heard the motion in September 2009 and, on January 3, 2010 ruled that Marullo should not be taken off the case. As Frank turned back to the restaurant dining room, Chau grabbed Quoc to hide somewhere. You are about to exit Hulu.com to visit the Shop Hulu site, where a different Terms of Use and Privacy Policy apply. Stream thousands of shows and movies, with plans starting at$7.99/month. It all seemed very bizarre to me, I would also like people to realize that death row targets the poor, and it targets Black and Brown lives. Good Morning Britain 's Susanna Reid meets death row inmate Darlie Routier in tonight's new documentary Death Row Women With Susanna Reid for ITV's Crime & Punishment strand. Updated: 21:50, 10 Dec 2020 Chiara Fiorillo Published: Invalid Date, DARLIE Routier has spent the last 23 years on death row. Lucio is scheduled to be executed on April 27. Serving Time 45m Years after leaving the military, Toby Gregory claims his service and PTSD caused him to murder his wife, Inez. [31] Carty also claims that she was interviewed without counsel being present on one occasion. She frequently had to go through supervisory review. Their names are:Darlie Routier, Kimberly Cargil, Brittany Holberg, Erica Sheppard, and Linda Carty.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Music CreditsSuspense Action by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Artist: http://audionautix.com/Machinations by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100510Artist: http://incompetech.com/The Temperature of the Air on the Bow of the Kaleetan by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/uvp/Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/Prelude No. Then both Stevens and Frank also jumped into the fray, and the weapon discharged. In. The California Supreme Court found that his conviction was the product of extensive, pervasive, impactful, and false forensic testimony. Lucio's case was the subject of a 2020 documentary, The State of Texas vs. Melissa. [17] While working as an informant, she provided information leading to two arrests. Carty wrote out what she wanted the letter to say, and Hernandez copied it. The Evers were devout Christians who enjoyed gathering for family meals, holding group prayers, and living a quiet life. Yarris' accounts of his life, what got him to death row, and what it's like to be an inmate are so captivating that you'll forget he is the only person featured in this entire prison . Melissas family, and some of her children, felt so railroaded by the justice system, they didnt trust anyone anymore. The director further explained that Melissas children have been placed all over Texas. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. As of January 1, 2022, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund said there were 50 women on death row across the United States. Detained in Arizona, Shawna Forde . He said, among other problems, Lucio didnt have adequate counsel. However, since she is already facing the death penalty for the Kim Anh murders, they have made no effort to try her for her father's death. According to court documents when the girls remains were weighed she weighed in just over thirty pounds. Detained in Arizona, Shawna Forde, head of an anti-immigration militia, was convicted, along with his accomplices, for murdering a father and his daughter. Melissa was a good person. Another sister claims the trial was a kangaroo court a circus, where the jury was laughing with the prosecutor and the judge. Ind. Quoc emerged from the cooler and ran out the restaurant's back door to a nearby friend's home to call 911 to report the murders. They told me that I was the first person in 13 years to ask anything about her casethat even her lawyer at the time of her trial had never tried to meet them. They did not know the whereabouts of their other sister and brother, Ha and Cuong Vu, who had been sweeping the dining room floors when Frank entered the restaurant. See production, box office & company info. DEATH. [25], A 2020 documentary by Sabrina Van Tassel titled The State of Texas vs. Melissa follows Lucio's case. Posing as a responding officer, she intended to kill Chau and Quoc to ensure there would be no witnesses. Although Frank's attorneys had subpoenaed 39 witnesses, they didn't call a single one. Carty has appealed her conviction,[6][7][8] with her most recent petition to the United States Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari being denied by the Supreme Court on November 13, 2018. Prosecutors said that Mariah's injuries were the result of physical abuse, while Lucio's attorneys say that her death was caused by a fall down the stairs two days prior. Frank was profiled in an episode of Deadly Women in 2009,[1] Snapped: Killer Couples in 2015,[2] and I'd Kill For You in 2016. [24] They assert that no scientific evidence exists that establishes that she was at the scene of the crime,[5] although her fingerprints were found in the car containing the victim's body. But worn down from a lifetime of abuse and the grief of. While some of them hope to have their cases reviewed. In at least three of those cases, evidence suggests that no crime occurred; the children died of medical conditions or accidents, not homicide. [2], On October 18, 2006, Frank's lawyers argued before the Louisiana Supreme Court that her death sentence should be overturned because she was denied state-funded experts to help prepare for the sentencing phase of the trial. Lisa Montgomery - the only female inmate on federal death row in the US - has been executed for murder. Melissa Lucio was the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death in Texas. [22], In April 2022, a juror on the trial, Johnny Galvan Jr., wrote in the Houston Chronicle that he had wrongly succumbed to peer pressure during deliberations and had changed his vote from a life sentence to the death penalty. They argued that the defense needed to conduct "an investigation into the defendant's background for possible mitigating evidence." Documentary Crime Drama 60 women are waiting for their execution on death row. Medical evidence indicated that the cause of death was likely cystic kidney disease or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In a March 2022 letter to the Board of Pardons and Paroles and to Governor Abbott, eighty-three members of the Texas House of Representatives, including both Democrats and Republicans, signed a letter stating that executing Lucio would be "a miscarriage of justice". The letter said Carty was being set up by "Chris and Zeb," who borrowed Carty's car and put the baby in it. The State of Texas authorized the use of the electric chair in 1923, and ordered all executions to be carried out by the state in Huntsville. Faces of Death Row | The Texas Tribune Faces of Death Row By Jolie McCullough and Ben Hasson Last Updated: Feb. 16, 2023 Here is a look at the 185 inmates currently on Texas' death row.. We decided to follow five of them. Three older children went to live in Houston with their father, and Lucio regained custody of the others in late 2006.[5]. pic.twitter.com/vfb4QeOtY1, The lawmakers are among dozens of Texas legislators who have signed a letter to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles asking it to act in Melissa Lucio's case. THEREFORE IT IS ALLOWED UNDER FAIR USE.This video has been uploaded following reasons:1) To demonstrate to the public the harsh reality of what a sentence of \"DEATH\" really means.2) To show the full horror of what it means to get it wrong when an innocent man is executed.3) The lasting damage it often causes to those carrying out the sentenceon all sides.4) The data shows the death penalty does not work as a deterrent.5) Too many innocent people are executed.Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Japanese Reviews Documentary Review: Okinawa/Santos (2020) by Yoju Matsubayashi. Their trials were severed, and Lacaze was tried first on July 1721, 1995, before Judge Frank Marullo. The project is an unflinching look at a deeply diseased society, corrupted through and through by social inequality and the aristocratic principle that the wealthy and powerful can do whatever they want, while the poor and powerless are to be humiliated and degraded. International Committee of the Fourth International. On February 17, 2007, paramedics were called to the Lucio residence because two-year-old Mariah was unresponsive and not breathing. At times, they thought Frank veered into irrational behavior. RELATED: Family of woman on death row claims she's innocent, pleads for her release. [9][28][10] The British government filed an amicus brief in her support. Kirby wrote that while he felt the evidence of Lacaze's guilt was "overwhelming", the juror misconduct amounted to a "structural defect" and a "violation of a constitutional right so basic to a fair trial" that the only remedy was a new trial. The 10-year-old case, they say, remains under investigation. The children rely on the school for food and hygiene.. Police then telephoned Carty and asked her to meet with them. The robbers fled the restaurant, and Frank dropped Lacaze off at a nearby apartment complex, both knowing that witnesses were left behind. She borrowed a patrol car and returned to the scene. [1][2][3] On occasion, though, she did distinguish herself, winning "Officer of the Month" awards from the local Kiwanis Club for her work in the community. Crawford was exonerated in 2017.Vicente Benavides was exonerated in April 2018 after 26 years on Californias death row, wrongly convicted of raping, sodomizing, and murdering his girlfriends 21-month-old daughter. They will be joined by Reps. James White (R-Hillister), Lacey Hull (R-Houston), Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston), and Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas). Carty's fingerprints were in both cars. As Chau bolted through the restaurant's front door to the safety of arriving officers, Frank immediately identified herself as a police officer. He was found guilty as charged and sentenced to death. "[10], During the trial, Lucio's recorded statements from her interrogation were described as a confession by Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos, who was seeking re-election at the time. She was believed to be the first New Orleans police officer to have been charged with killing a fellow officer. [6][failed verification] According to Lucio, Mariah had sustained the injuries when she fell down a flight of stairs two days earlier. [7] However, the United Kingdom lacks any legal forum to obtain redress for this breach. [14], On September 11, 2008 the day that the state supreme court stay was to end, a new death warrant was signed by the same judge. Lacaze had slipped behind Williams and shot him in the neck, severing his spinal cord and instantly paralyzing him. ", "Texas mother is set for execution as evidence suggests she did not kill her child", "I voted to sentence Melissa Lucio to death. During her litigation, Lucio earned notoriety as the first Hispanic woman on death row in Texas. Hanging was means of execution from 1819 to 1923. [8] She admitted to having spanked Mariah, but denied ever having abused her, which she repeated more than 100 times. If a majority of the Board of Pardons and Paroles were to recommend it, Governor Greg Abbott could grant clemency. Frank's attorney stated she would appeal the ruling to the state's supreme court, which had already overruled both of Marullo's death warrants. [15] In a new round of appeals, defense attorneys argued they had had too little time to review the voluminous record before the deadline for filing appeals. 2d 724 (La. The next day, they needed only 45 minutes to recommend the death penalty. KVUE on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube, Tanvi Varma on social media: Twitter| Instagram. The motive is to collect her roommate's $100,000 mortgage insurance policy. Melissa Lucio was the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death in Texas. An investigator with the Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DOC) believed this was the first contact between the two, although in her statement, Frank claims that they met some eight months before the murders. She was scheduled for execution on April 27, 2022. Newly released on Amazon and other streaming platforms, the unsettling documentary by French director Sabrina Van Tassel raises questions about the conviction of Melissa Lucio, the first. In 2007, Melissa Lucio 's 2-year-old daughter, Mariah, died after a tragic, accidental fall down a flight of stairs. The following evidence was presented during the trial: Carty was convicted of murder on February 19, 2002. Death row exonerees including Kwame Ajamu, right, listens to speakers during a Witness to Innocence news conference marking the organization's 15th anniversary at the at the National Constitution . However, during her interview with the DOC investigator, Frank claimed to have had a male suitor but refused to go into specifics because he worked for the police department. Subscribe to see a little more of the world with our premium documentaries. [4] As of 2022, Lucio is being held on death row[14] at the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas. When asked why she would continue the relationship, knowing that Lacaze had been involved in dealing drugs and a shooting, she responded that she would not disassociate herself from him just because of his past. In total, there are around 2,500 people on death row in America. Carty told her husband on 15 May that she would have a baby boy the next day. Streaming Library with tons of TV episodes and movies, Most new episodes the day after they air, Watch on your favorite devices, including TV, laptop, phone, or tablet, Watch on 2 different screens at the same time, For current-season shows in the streaming library only, **Switches from Live TV to Hulu take effect as of the next billing cycle. In the United States, the executions of 54 women prisoners are currently "on hold.". [15], A 2011 appeal against the conviction was denied by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice: On May 16, 2001, Carty and three co-defendants invaded a home and kidnapped a 25-year-old female and her newborn son. Lacaze was re-sentenced to life imprisonment without parole on December 13, 2019. Additionally, court documents state that the emergency room physician said he had not seen a case of child abuse worse than Mariah's. The Mississippi Supreme Court overturned Butlers conviction in 1992.Rodricus Crawford was convicted and sentenced to death in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, on charges that he had smothered his infant son. Women on Death Row | Prison DocumentaryBehind Bars: South Cotabato Jail, Philippines: https://youtu.be/A8slYgeqGLwIn the United States, 54 women are \"on hold\" for the execution of their death sentence.