A Texas inmate sent to death row for a murder conviction related to a case of shaken baby syndrome will have an opportunity to tell his "unique" story after the state Supreme Court's last-minute intervention halting his Thursday night execution.
The shocking move by the entire-Republican court bought 57-year-old Robert Roberson more time to plead his case after having spent 20 years on condemned row for the death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, in Palestine, Texas in 2002.
"This is an innocent man," Democratic state Rep. John Bucy said, according to TIME. "And there's too much shadow of a doubt in this case."
"I agree this is a unique decision today. We know this is not a done deal. He has a unique experience to tell and we need to hear that testimony in committee on Monday," he added.
Lawmakers were forced to get creative with their 11th hour decision when they issued a subpoena for Roberson to testify on a date after his scheduled execution, according to the outlet. A judge in Austin, Texas approved the motion and halted Roberson's killing, only for an appeals court to reverse the decision soon after. That's when the Texas Supreme Court stepped in and issued its order pausing his execution, giving Roberson the green light to speak before the House committee at the beginning of next week.
"The vast team fighting for Robert Roberson – people all across Texas, the country, and the world – are elated tonight that a contingent of brave, bipartisan Texas lawmakers chose to dig deep into the facts of Robert's case that no court had yet considered and recognized that his life was worth fighting for," Roberson's attorney, Gretchen Sween, told CNN Thursday night.
Supporters have been vocal in their belief Roberson – who was later diagnosed with autism, bringing into question his mental capacity – was convicted of killing his little girl as a result of shaken baby syndrome based on now-debunked, faulty scientific evidence.
The investigation later on confirmed Nikki died from double pneumonia, pre-existing conditions that were treated with now-banned opioids, and undiagnosed sepsis – and her death was not a result of a traumatic head injury caused by being fatally shaken, according to the Texas Tribune.
Even Brian Wharton, the Palestine police detective who led the investigation into Nikki's death, is convinced of Roberson's innocence.
"He's an innocent man and we're very close to killing him for something he did not do," he told the Associated Press.
