Brad Brooks

LUBBOCK Texas (Reuters] – Texas’ appeals court granted Monday a stay to execution for a girl convicted of murdering her toddler fifteen years ago. New evidence has cast doubt on the conviction.

Two days prior to Melissa Lucio’s scheduled execution by lethal injection, the Court of Criminal Appeals denied the request. Lucio would have been the first Hispanic woman to be executed by Texas.

A lower court was ordered by the criminal appeals court to review new evidence that Lucio’s attorneys claim proves Mariah, her 2-year old daughter, died in 2007 from an accident-related fall and not due to child abuse.

It wasn’t immediately clear when the court would take into consideration the new evidence. The court also had to consider whether Lucio was being lied about by the prosecutors.

Lucio, who was defending herself in court through the Innocence Project’s statement said that “I am thankful the Court has allowed me to live and prove mine innocence.” “Mariah will always be in my heart.”

Lucio’s request to be executed stayed received the support of celebrities as well as a bipartisan collection of nearly half of Texas House of Representatives members who wanted her to get a second trial.

Lucio’s attorneys claim that Lucio made a false and coerced confession about Mariah being spanked and bit in 2008. After hours of interrogation, Lucio finally confessed. Lucio called 911 to inform them that their daughter wasn’t responding after taking a break at Harlingen apartment.

Lucio’s lawyers now have evidence from forensic specialists that the child died due to blunt force trauma to her brain. It is consistent with her injuries from falling down a flight stairs in the days preceding her death.

Lucio, and her other family members had previously told investigators that it was an accident. However, the jury was not informed about this fall.