A Texas death row inmate praised God and thanked his supporters after being issued a stay of execution minutes before he was set to die.
Robert Leslie Roberson III was granted the delay by the Texas Supreme Court.
Roberson, 57, was scheduled to die by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville at 6 p.m. CT, but the order came through less than 90 minutes before to keep his chance for an appeal alive.
"He was shocked, to say the least," said Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesperson Amanda Hernandez to the Associated Press. "He praised God and he thanked his supporters. And that's pretty much what he had to say."
Roberson was sentenced to death for the February 2002 shaken-baby death of his two-year-old daughter, Nikki.
The sentence has turned into a high-profile case. The diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome and Roberson's mental capacity and rights violations in his first trial are being debated.
A bipartisan coalition of the Texas House of Representatives unanimously voted this week to subpoena the man, who has autism. He would be the first person to receive the death penalty in the U.S. for shaken baby syndrome.
"We're deeply grateful to the Texas Supreme Court for respecting the role of the Texas legislature in such consequential matters. We look forward to welcoming Rober to the Texas Capitol, and along with 31 million Texans, finally giving him-and the truth-a chance to be heard," Rep. Joe Moody and Rep. Jeff Leach said in a joint statement.
A statement from Rep. Joe Moody and Rep. @leachfortexas. #txlege pic.twitter.com/GLGvuXAt6o
— Joe Moody (@moodyforelpaso) October 18, 2024
Roberson was being returned to the Polunsky Unit, where death row inmates are housed.
Roberson's lawyer also spoke out after the stay.
Roberson "hopes that his experience can help improve the integrity of our criminal legal system," Gretchen Sween said, according to CNN.
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