Latest news with #TexasBoardofPardonsandParoles
USA Today
17-07-2025
- USA Today
'Texans should be outraged': Execution back on for inmate who has strong innocence claims
Last year with hours left to live, Robert Roberson's life was spared following a furious effort by a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers − a development rarely seen in the hardliner state A Texas judge has rescheduled the execution of a death row inmate who won a rare stay of execution last year as prison officials were poised to administer his lethal injection. Judge Austin Reeve Jackson on Wednesday set Robert Roberson's execution for Oct. 16, almost exactly a year after the Texas Supreme Court granted him a stay on his last execution day, Oct. 17, 2024. Roberson, 58, is imprisoned in the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki, despite strong evidence that suggests he is innocent. Roberson was convicted based on shaken baby syndrome, which has since been largely debunked. Last year with hours left to live, Roberson's life was spared following a furious effort by a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers − a development rarely seen in the nation's most prolific death penalty state. The Texas Supreme Court intervened even as the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to recommend clemency for Roberson and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to stop it. Judge Reeve has rescheduled the execution at the request of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton even though the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is "currently considering new evidence further proving" Roberson's innocence, said his defense attorney, Gretchen Sween. 'Texans should be outraged that the court has scheduled an execution date for a demonstrably innocent man," Sween said in a statement. "Everyone who has taken the time to look at the evidence of Robert Roberson's innocence − including the lead detective, one of the jurors, a range of highly qualified experts, and a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers − has reached the same conclusion: Nikki's death was a terrible tragedy. Robert did not kill her. There was no crime." The Attorney General's Office didn't immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment Wednesday. Here's what you need to know about the case. Detective who pursued Robert Roberson: 'I was wrong' Roberson was convicted of killing his daughter in their home in the East Texas city of Palestine in 2002. Roberson reported hearing Nikki cry and finding that she had fallen out of bed. After soothing her, he said, they both went back to sleep. Later, when Roberson woke again, he found Nikki wasn't breathing, and her lips had turned blue. At the emergency room, doctors observed symptoms consistent with brain death and she was pronounced dead the next day. Doctors and investigators at the time jumped to the conclusion that Nikki died of shaken baby syndrome, but the toddler had pneumonia in both lungs, pre-existing conditions for which she was prescribed opioids now banned for children, and undiagnosed sepsis. Shaken baby syndrome has been largely debunked as junk science, and the lead investigator in Roberson's case told USA TODAY's The Excerpt podcast that he botched the investigation. "Robert is a completely innocent man and we got it completely wrong, because we were looking for the wrong things," Brian Wharton said, adding that his confirmation bias and a number of misunderstandings wrongly pointed him to Roberson's guilt. "I was wrong. I didn't see Robert. I did not hear Robert," Wharton said. "I can tell you now, he is a good man. He is a kind man. He is a gracious man. And he did not do what the state of Texas and I have accused him of." What led to Robert Roberson's previous execution stay? Five Republican and four Democratic lawmakers on the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence issued a subpoena for Roberson shortly before his execution last year in an extraordinary effort to stop it. Texas Reps. Joe Moody, a Democrat, and Jeff Leach, a Republican, led the charge for Roberson's reprieve and issued a statement after his life was spared. "For over 20 years, Robert Roberson has spent 23.5 hours of every single day in solitary confinement in a cell no bigger than the closets of most Texans, longing and striving to be heard," they said. "And while some courthouses may have failed him, the Texas House has not." The move came after a failed effort by a bipartisan group of 84 Texas lawmakers who urged the state's Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend clemency for Roberson "out of grave concern that Texas may put him to death for a crime that did not occur.' The clemency board denied their request. About three dozen scientific and medical experts wrote to the clemency board explaining that had Nikki died today, "no doctor would consider Shaken Baby Syndrome" as the cause because the condition "is now considered a diagnosis of exclusion." "Nikki's pneumonia, the extreme levels of dangerous medications found in her system during her autopsy, and her fall from the bed explain why Nikki died," the experts wrote. Also fighting for Roberson's salvation: groups representing parental rights, autism advocates, faith leaders and anti-death penalty groups including the Innocence Project, and bestselling author John Grisham, who called Nikki's death "a tragedy, not a crime," in a column for the Palestine Herald-Press. What happens now? Roberson's attorney told USA TODAY that she will again seek a stay of Roberson's execution "so all of the evidence that proves he is innocent can be reviewed by the courts without the pressure of a looming execution date.' Roberson will have many chances for courts, the state's clemency board and government officials to stop his execution again.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Texas man executed for the 2004 strangling and stabbing death of a young mother
A Texas man convicted of fatally strangling and stabbing a young mother more than 20 years ago was executed on Wednesday evening. Moises Sandoval Mendoza received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville and was pronounced dead at 6.40pm, authorities said. He was condemned for the March 2004 killing of 20-year-old Rachelle O'Neil Tolleson. After a spiritual adviser prayed over him for about two minutes, Mendoza apologised repeatedly to the victim's parents and relatives present, calling to each by name. 'I am sorry for having robbed you of Rachelle's life,' he said, addressing the woman's parents, two brothers, a cousin and an uncle who were watching through a window from an adjoining room. He also said he had robbed Ms Tolleson's daughter of her mother, adding, 'I'm sorry for that. I know nothing that I could ever say or do would ever make up for that. I want you to know that I am sincere. I apologise.' Ms Tolleson's daughter was not present for the execution. He spoke briefly in Spanish, addressing his wife, his sister and two friends seated and watching through a window from another witness room. 'I love you, I am with you, I am well and at peace,' he said in Spanish, his words provided in a transcript in English translation. 'You know that I'm well, and everything is love,' he added. As the injection began, he could be heard making two loud gasps and then began snoring. After about 10 snores, all movement stopped. He was pronounced dead 19 minutes later. Prosecutors say Mendoza, 41, took Ms Tolleson from her north Texas home, leaving her six-month-old daughter alone. The infant was found cold and wet but safe the next day by Ms Tolleson's mother. Ms Tolleson's body was discovered six days later, left in a field near a creek. Evidence in Mendoza's case showed he also had burned Ms Tolleson's body to hide his fingerprints. Dental records were used to identify her, according to investigators. Earlier on Wednesday, the US Supreme Court denied a request by Mendoza's lawyers to stop his execution. Lower courts had previously rejected his petitions for a stay. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Monday denied Mendoza's request to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty. But the Texas Attorney General's Office told the Supreme Court that Mendoza's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel had previously been found by a lower federal court to be 'meritless and insubstantial'. Authorities said that in the days before the killing, Mendoza had attended a party at Ms Tolleson's home in Farmersville, located about 45 miles northeast of Dallas. On the day her body was found, Mendoza told a friend about the killing. The friend called the police, and Mendoza was arrested. Mendoza confessed to police but could not give detectives a reason for the slaying, authorities said. He told investigators he repeatedly choked Ms Tolleson, sexually assaulted her and dragged her body to a field, where he choked her again and then stabbed her in the throat. He later moved her body to a more remote location and burned it. Mendoza was the third inmate put to death this year in Texas, historically the nation's busiest capital punishment state, and the 13th in the US. On Thursday, Alabama planned to execute James Osgood for the 2010 rape and murder of a woman.
Leader Live
24-04-2025
- Leader Live
Texas man executed for the 2004 strangling and stabbing death of a young mother
Moises Sandoval Mendoza received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville and was pronounced dead at 6.40pm, authorities said. He was condemned for the March 2004 killing of 20-year-old Rachelle O'Neil Tolleson. After a spiritual adviser prayed over him for about two minutes, Mendoza apologised repeatedly to the victim's parents and relatives present, calling to each by name. 'I am sorry for having robbed you of Rachelle's life,' he said, addressing the woman's parents, two brothers, a cousin and an uncle who were watching through a window from an adjoining room. He also said he had robbed Ms Tolleson's daughter of her mother, adding, 'I'm sorry for that. I know nothing that I could ever say or do would ever make up for that. I want you to know that I am sincere. I apologise.' Ms Tolleson's daughter was not present for the execution. He spoke briefly in Spanish, addressing his wife, his sister and two friends seated and watching through a window from another witness room. 'I love you, I am with you, I am well and at peace,' he said in Spanish, his words provided in a transcript in English translation. 'You know that I'm well, and everything is love,' he added. As the injection began, he could be heard making two loud gasps and then began snoring. After about 10 snores, all movement stopped. He was pronounced dead 19 minutes later. Prosecutors say Mendoza, 41, took Ms Tolleson from her north Texas home, leaving her six-month-old daughter alone. The infant was found cold and wet but safe the next day by Ms Tolleson's mother. Ms Tolleson's body was discovered six days later, left in a field near a creek. Evidence in Mendoza's case showed he also had burned Ms Tolleson's body to hide his fingerprints. Dental records were used to identify her, according to investigators. Earlier on Wednesday, the US Supreme Court denied a request by Mendoza's lawyers to stop his execution. Lower courts had previously rejected his petitions for a stay. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Monday denied Mendoza's request to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty. But the Texas Attorney General's Office told the Supreme Court that Mendoza's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel had previously been found by a lower federal court to be 'meritless and insubstantial'. Authorities said that in the days before the killing, Mendoza had attended a party at Ms Tolleson's home in Farmersville, located about 45 miles northeast of Dallas. On the day her body was found, Mendoza told a friend about the killing. The friend called the police, and Mendoza was arrested. Mendoza confessed to police but could not give detectives a reason for the slaying, authorities said. He told investigators he repeatedly choked Ms Tolleson, sexually assaulted her and dragged her body to a field, where he choked her again and then stabbed her in the throat. He later moved her body to a more remote location and burned it. Mendoza was the third inmate put to death this year in Texas, historically the nation's busiest capital punishment state, and the 13th in the US. On Thursday, Alabama planned to execute James Osgood for the 2010 rape and murder of a woman.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Today is 30 years since Selena's death. How to watch the movies, series about her legacy
It has been 30 years since the death of Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla Pérez, who was fatally shot by Yolanda Saldívar outside a Days Inn Hotel in Corpus Christi. Known simply as Selena to her fans, she was one of the first Mexican-American artists to break into the mainstream music scene and was on the brink of crossing over into the English-language pop market at the time of her death. Saldívar fatally shot the young music icon after being caught embezzling money as president of Selena's fan club and manager of her boutiques. Selena was less than three weeks away from her 24th birthday. The 64-year-old, who was 34 at the time of Selena's death, was denied parole last week by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and will continue serving a life sentence at a prison in Gatesville. Her case will be eligible for parole review again in 2030. Selena's legacy continues to inspire generations of fans and artists, with her music and cultural impact enduring as a symbol of resilience, talent and the power of breaking barriers. Here's what to know about the young music icon and how to watch the movies and series that honor her life. Born and raised in Texas, Selena was a beloved Tejano musician who was named Female Vocalist of the Year at the 1986 Tejano Music Awards, a title she earned 11 times in total, including several posthumously. She ranks second only to Elida Reyna, who claimed the title 13 times between 2000 and 2019. In 1994, Selena won the Grammy for Best Mexican-American Album. Songs like "Como La Flor," "I Could Fall In Love," and her signature hit, "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom," endeared her music to both Spanish and English-speaking audiences, stamping her success as a crossover star. In 2001, Selena was posthumously honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2010, at the 30th Anniversary Tejano Music Awards, she was named Female Vocalist of the 1980s and Female Vocalist of the 1990s. With her success in pop culture and her philanthropic efforts in the community, Selena has become a significant inspiration for young girls and women, championing confidence and empowerment. From Halloween costumes to Selena-themed trivia and parties, her legacy continues to influence new generations, keeping her spirit alive. Available to stream or rent on: Amazon Prime Video YouTube Google Play Movies & TV Apple TV Fandango at Home Currently unavailable for streaming, but can be found through: DVD/Blu-ray rentals Occasional television airings on networks featuring live concerts Keep an eye on platforms like Amazon and YouTube for future digital releases. Available for streaming on: Netflix This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Selena Quintanilla died 30 years ago. How to stream the movie, series
CNN
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
On the 30th anniversary of Selena's death, her killer is denied parole
The powerful voice of Tejano music superstar Selena Quintanilla-Pérez is still an indelible staple in Latino households and parties nearly 30 years after her death. The grief that engulfed fans immediately after Selena's life was cut short has morphed over the years into a celebration of the cultural icon every spring on the days leading up to her April birthday. But this year, the memorial is accompanied by a sense of relief as Yolanda Saldívar, the woman who shot and killed Selena in a Texas motel room, was denied her first attempt at parole. 'Today, we are grateful that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has chosen to deny parole for Yolanda Saldívar,' the Quintanilla family and Selena's husband Chris Pérez said in a joint statement shared on their social media platforms. 'While nothing can bring Selena back, this decision reaffirms that justice continues to stand for the beautiful life that was taken from us and from millions of fans around the world far too soon,' they added. Saldívar, 64, is serving a life sentence for the singer's 1995 murder at a prison in Gatesville, Texas, about 100 miles north of Austin. In the weeks leading to the parole board's decision, some fans chatted about Saldivar's potential release while others remained focused on celebrating Selena's life and legacy — much like the singer's family. 'If I am the Selena y Los Dino fan that I say I am, I think that's the most important part. … They (Selena's family) are celebrating her life, and they're celebrating her legacy,' said Stephanie Bergara, a country and Tejano music singer-songwriter and lead singer of the Texas-based Selena tribute band Bidi Bidi Banda. Selena's parents, her sister and band members joined fans and film industry members earlier this month as 'Selena y Los Dinos,' a new documentary about the singer's life, premiered at the South by Southwest festival in Austin. Weeks earlier, the film was screened at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and won the US Documentary Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling. 'She's been such an inspiration, especially for Latina women like myself,' Roberta Salas, a fan who attended the screening, told CNN affiliate KEYE. 'She gave us the mentality that we can do anything.' Saldívar came into Selena's life as a fan, later becoming her fan club president and managing some of the singer's clothing boutiques. On March 31, 1995, the 'Queen of Tejano Music' — who was known by her first name — was meeting with Saldívar at a Corpus Christi motel when Saldívar shot her. They were discussing Selena's concerns that Saldívar had embezzled money from her, according to trial testimony. Selena was 23 and her first English-language album was months from release. Saldívar was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Her case was placed into parole review in recent months based on the amount of time she has served in prison, which began when she was first detained, and because the offense for which she was convicted allowed for parole consideration, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Saldívar was denied parole Thursday after her case was reviewed by a three-member panel, according to the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole. 'After a thorough consideration of all available information, which included any confidential interviews conducted, it was the parole panel's determination to deny parole to Yolanda Saldivar and set her next parole review for March 2030,' the board said in a statement. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles says it considers the offense, 'medical and psychological history, and how the offender has adjusted and behaved in prison.' But the process is not 'cut and dry;' other factors such as public outcry as well as the offender's remorse and accountability are also considered in the decision, said Helen Anne Gaebler, a senior research attorney for the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law at The University of Texas School of Law. 'The parole process — it's not cut and dry. It's very individual. It's very much individually based, and the circumstances play a large role,' Gaebler said. In her experience representing women in the parole review process in Central Texas, Gaebler said she believes there's often a reliance 'on historical factors and not enough attention or focus put on present-day and future-looking factors.' 'For example, we will oftentimes have individuals denied parole over and over because of the nature of the offense. That's one of the bases on which parole can be denied. But that's a static factor that's never going to change,' Gaebler said. In Saldívar's case, the parole board cited the nature of the offense as the reason for their denial. 'The record indicates that the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim's vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety,' the parole board said in a statement. In Texas, tens of thousands of cases are reviewed for parole every year, in addition to pardons, medical release requests and revocation of parole. In 2023, 64,785 cases were considered for parole and about 34% were approved, according to an annual statistical report from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Decades after her murder, Selena endures as an icon for her signature looks; a unique sound that blended Tejano, dance-pop and R&B and for putting the Mexican-American experience in the spotlight. Bergara, the tribute band singer, was only 8 when Selena was killed and never got the chance to see her live. Yet the image of Selena on stage, captivating large crowds, is etched into her memory. 'She was the first person who I ever saw on television who looked like she could be related to me,' Bergara said. 'She was immediately so relatable to me and so relatable to people across the world now.' The Selena tribute band, which originally intended to put on a one-time performance, has now toured major cities across the country for more than a decade and seen how the singer's legacy is being passed on through generations. 'We play shows all the time where moms who are my age will show up, and their daughters will show up, and they're dressed like Selena, and they love Selena just as much as their moms did,' Bergara said. Selena continues to captivate audiences, evidenced by her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame awarded in 2018, a Netflix miniseries inspired by her life in 2020, and the launch of a second MAC Cosmetics collection inspired by her the same year. She was also posthumously awarded the prestigious National Medal of Arts in 2023 by former President Joe Biden, the highest award given to artists by the federal government. In Corpus Christi, where Selena and her family lived, the iconic singer is memorialized in numerous ways. Fans can visit the Mirador de la Flor memorial and its life-size bronze statue centerpiece, the Selena Museum and the city's auditorium, which was renamed in her memory. Sonya M. Alemán, a professor at The University of Texas at San Antonio, has been teaching a course since 2020 focused on Selena and her lasting impact on society. Her students have interviewed hundreds of Selena fans and learned why she remains a cultural symbol despite generational differences. 'Her legacy has not waned. If anything, it's strengthening,' Alemán said. For those who lived through Selena's life and death, their connection to the singer is clearly defined — they attended concerts and signings, and looked up to her as a trailblazer and a proud Tejana, Aleman explained. For younger fans, many of whom were born at the turn of the century, Selena's music means home. Her songs were a staple in family functions — quinceañeras, carne asadas and family gatherings. 'When they think of Selena, they think of home, they think of family,' Alemán said. For Alemán, Selena's lasting legacy is a testament to the 'resounding and constant need not just to uplift her, but to see ourselves.' 'She's still beloved and she's still a story and person that people want to continue to remember and keep her legacy alive,' Alemán said. 'I also think that it means that the community that she belonged to, that she identified with, is still thirsty for representation.' To fans like Bergara, the celebration of Selena's life that occurs every year surrounding her April 16 birthday should not be overshadowed by developments in Saldívar's case. 'I don't want to give her any attention,' Bergara said. 'I just don't think it's worth it, and what we should be focusing on is 30 years of Selena, 30 years of her iconic life being celebrated.' The Quintanilla family and her husband said after Saldívar's parole was denied that Selena 'lived with joy, gave selflessly, and continues to uplift generations with her voice and her spirit' and called on fans to remember that. 'We will continue to celebrate Selena's life — not the tragedy that took her from us — and we ask that all who cherish her do the same,' they said.
