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TEXAS — An execution date has been scheduled for Robert Roberson, a death row inmate who has spent more than two decades incarcerated for the 2002 death of his daughter, despite mounting scientific and legal evidence challenging his conviction.
Roberson was sentenced based on the now-discredited “shaken baby syndrome” theory, which medical experts—including pediatricians, forensic pathologists, and even the case’s lead detective—have since rejected as unreliable. His legal team argues that new medical findings point to natural causes of death, and that his conviction was based on outdated science and procedural flaws.
Texas’ highest criminal court is currently reviewing this evidence, yet the state has moved forward with setting an execution date. Advocates warn that proceeding under these circumstances risks an irreversible miscarriage of justice.
Human rights organizations and legal experts have cited Roberson’s case as emblematic of broader concerns surrounding capital punishment, including its vulnerability to error and the evolving understanding of forensic science.
A public petition to halt the execution has been launched under the campaign #SaveRoberson: https://bit.ly/48Qkdzj
Source: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals; Innocence Project; medical expert affidavits.
