SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio law students gathered at Woodlawn Park Saturday morning to garner support for Melissa Lucio, a 53-year-old mother on death row from Harlingen, Texas.
Melissa Lucio was convicted of killing her two-year-old daughter Mariah in 2007, but has maintained her innocence from the beginning. Her legal team and supporters believe she was coerced into confessing that she abused her daughter.
"We’re hoping that they see our efforts, they look at the evidence, they recommend clemency be granted by Governor Abbott," said Cody Huffman, a law student at St. Mary's University who spent Saturday morning sharing Lucio's story.
In 2020, a documentary shed light on evidence that was not presented to the jury that found her guilty of murder. Supporters believe that evidence could prove that Mariah died from an accidental fall down a flight of stairs.
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Karen Munoz, another San Antonio law student believes there was a clear miscarriage of justice in Lucio's case.
"As a student at the school of law we learn that you should try your best for every client," said Munoz. "Reading through the case documents and stuff and knowing everything we do it’s just very clear that she wasn’t really given good representation at any point."
Munoz, Huffman and a handful of other supports joined supporters nationwide for a day of action to call for those in positions of power to stop the execution.
Supporters have submitted a petition with more than 300,000 signatures to halt the execution. The governor can not act unless the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole's recommends it.
"When I receive that, I will consider it and take whatever action I think is appropriate," said Governor Greg Abbott Thursday, when asked if he would intervene in Lucio's case.
Lucio's execution date is scheduled for April 27th.