London Lass
07-12-2008, 05:43 PM
TEXAS----new female death sentence
Mother gets death penalty
A Harlingen woman is the 1st in Cameron County's history to be given the death penalty.
After hearing almost 3 days of testminony, a jury gave Melissa Lucio the death penalty for killing her 2-year-old daughter Mariah Alvarez.
The jury convicted the Harlingen mother last week and begain hearing testimony for her sentecing on Monday.
The 12 jurors decided on Wednesday that Lucio should be given death by lethal injection.
Defense attorneys tried to blame her past.
They said Lucio was physically and sexually abused as a child.
Lucio's family was sobbing during the final moments before she was sentenced to death.
Her family left the courtroom in utter distraught.
Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos said jurors didn't buy the defense's claims.
"I think the jury understood the seriousness of the abuse and based on that, I think this is the only true verdict," Villalobos said.
This case began last year when Harlingen police found melissa lucio's 2 and a half year old daughter - mariah alvarez - unresponisve at the families home.
Mariah was pronounced dead at the hospital soon after.
An autopsy revealed that the 2-year-old girl was killed by blunt trauma to the head.
Child Protective Services said Lucio has 13 other children.
The Harlingen mother had been investigated for allegations of abuse and neglect several times over the past 13 years.
"It was clear to us from the injures to her body and her behavior that this was going on with more than one child," Villalobos said.
Lucio's live in boyfriend is awaiting trial.
He faces injury to a child charges.
Although investigators do not believe he participated in the abuse, prosecutors said he did nothing to stop it.
State records show that there are only 9 other women on death row in Texas.
Jurors in Cameron County have sentenced 17 people to death.
Most have already been executed but there are only 3 people from Cameron County sitting on death row.
(source: KGBT News)
http://people.smu.edu/rhalperi/updates.html
Mother gets death penalty
A Harlingen woman is the 1st in Cameron County's history to be given the death penalty.
After hearing almost 3 days of testminony, a jury gave Melissa Lucio the death penalty for killing her 2-year-old daughter Mariah Alvarez.
The jury convicted the Harlingen mother last week and begain hearing testimony for her sentecing on Monday.
The 12 jurors decided on Wednesday that Lucio should be given death by lethal injection.
Defense attorneys tried to blame her past.
They said Lucio was physically and sexually abused as a child.
Lucio's family was sobbing during the final moments before she was sentenced to death.
Her family left the courtroom in utter distraught.
Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos said jurors didn't buy the defense's claims.
"I think the jury understood the seriousness of the abuse and based on that, I think this is the only true verdict," Villalobos said.
This case began last year when Harlingen police found melissa lucio's 2 and a half year old daughter - mariah alvarez - unresponisve at the families home.
Mariah was pronounced dead at the hospital soon after.
An autopsy revealed that the 2-year-old girl was killed by blunt trauma to the head.
Child Protective Services said Lucio has 13 other children.
The Harlingen mother had been investigated for allegations of abuse and neglect several times over the past 13 years.
"It was clear to us from the injures to her body and her behavior that this was going on with more than one child," Villalobos said.
Lucio's live in boyfriend is awaiting trial.
He faces injury to a child charges.
Although investigators do not believe he participated in the abuse, prosecutors said he did nothing to stop it.
State records show that there are only 9 other women on death row in Texas.
Jurors in Cameron County have sentenced 17 people to death.
Most have already been executed but there are only 3 people from Cameron County sitting on death row.
(source: KGBT News)
http://people.smu.edu/rhalperi/updates.html