286: Melissa Lucio: Child Murderer or Wrongful Conviction? (Part 1)

In 2008, 39-year-old Melissa Lucio became the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death in the state of Texas. She’d been tried and convicted of capital murder in the death of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. On February 17th, 2007, first responders were called to Melissa’s home to find Mariah in cardiac arrest. Despite resuscitation efforts, Mariah was pronounced dead at the hospital. She was found covered in bruises, with a cause of death ultimately determined to be from a significant head injury. Melissa had no documented history of abuse, but before investigators had even left her home that night, they’d formed their opinion of what happened, despite Melissa’s explanation. Since her sentencing, people across the world have been lobbying on Melissa’s behalf, petitioning for a stay of execution and, hopefully, a full exoneration. Was Melissa wrongly convicted and sentenced to death or was she responsible for the death of her youngest child? TRIGGER WARNING: sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, child death, drug use Hang with us: Follow Us on Instagram Like Us on Facebook Join our Case Discussion Group on Facebook Get Killer Queens Merch Bonus Episodes Support Our AMAZING Sponsors: Hatch: Right now, Hatch is offering our listeners $20 off your purchase of a Hatch Restore 2 and free shipping at hatch.co/queens. Athena Club: Show your skin you care with the Athena Club Razor Kit! Get started with Athena Club today by shopping in-store at Target nationwide - just head to the shaving aisle to buy your razor and refills! GhostBed: Head to ghostbed.com/queens now to get started finding your perfect bed; their Sleep Experts are standing by to help, for a limited time, use code QUEENS for 40% off sitewide. © 2023 Killer Queens Podcast. All Rights Reserved Audio Production by Wayfare Recording Music provided by Steven Tobi Logo designed by Sloane Williams of The Sophisticated Crayon YouTube Editing by Jennifer Da Silva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices