Has Melissa Lucio’s Execution Been Cancelled?

Melissa Lucio, the state’s only Latina on death row, was scheduled to be executed on Wednesday, but her execution was postponed by Texas’ highest criminal court on Monday, April 25 2022.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals decision came as the state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles was preparing to make a recommendation to Gov. Greg Abbott on whether to stay Lucio’s execution.

A lower court will now hear Lucio’s claims that her execution should be halted because new evidence would exonerate her in the death of her 2-year-old daughter.

“I thank God for my life. I have always trusted in Him,” Lucio said in a statement shared by her legal team. “I am grateful the Court has given me the chance to live and prove my innocence. Mariah is in my heart today and always.”

She is one of six women on the state’s death row and was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection; the last time a woman was executed in Texas was in 2014.