Family members and supporters of a Harlingen mom sitting on death row for killing her toddler daughter gathered this morning outside the Cameron County Administrative Building to deliver a petition to District Attorney Luis V. Saenz requesting he withdraw an execution warrant against her.
The petition in support of Melissa Lucio, which has over 30,000 signatures also requests that Saenz watch the documentary “The State of Texas vs Melissa,” which the family and supporters said show no murder occurred.
An April 27 execution date has been scheduled for Lucio after a Cameron County jury in 2008 found her guilty on one count of capital murder for causing the death of Mariah Alvarez. The little girl had been beaten. Lucio denies killing her daughter.
As the family waited to hear from the district attorney’s office, Melissa’s mom, Esperanza, sat huddled in a chair repeatedly saying her daughter was innocent, as she cried.
“Watch the film, watch the film,” the family shouted as they waited for someone from the DA’s office to meet with them. They also shouted out “Free Melissa Lucio, free Melissa Lucio.”
However, the family left the administrative building without delivering the petition because Saenz was not at the office. They were only provided with an email address in which they could send the petition too.
The family is also reaching out to Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole to get Melissa free.
