The family of an inmate on Texas’ death row is thankful to have the support of Kim Kardashian. The reality star tweeted against the execution of Melissa Lucio, who is scheduled to be put to death on April 27.
According to NBC News, Lucio was found guilty of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah, in 2008. She claimed the toddler fell down the stairs as a result of an accident, but bruises on the child’s body led authorities to believe otherwise. The medical examiners claimed Mariah died from a blow to her head, but Lucio repeatedly denied allegations of child abuse…until she was allegedly pressured into confessing that she “spanked” her child.
Lucio’s lawyers have since argued that the court has not presented the full picture of their client’s case. They said jurors never heard from her other children and revealed that modern-day pathologists believe the two-year-old could have suffered a head injury from a fall. The arguments briefly saw success when the conviction in 2019 was overturned, but it was later upheld due to procedural reasons.
With the execution days away, Lucio’s kids have been pleading for the commutation of her death sentence. Coming across a letter they wrote, Kardashian used her platform to bring awareness to the case.
“So heartbreaking to read this letter from Melissa Lucio’s children begging for the state not to kill their mother. There are so many unresolved questions surrounding this case and the evidence that was used to convict her,” she tweeted last week. “This is one of the many reasons why I am against the death penalty—and why I pray her children’s wish is granted and their mother’s life is spared.”
The tweet has since been met with gratitude from the Lucio family. “When I shared with my mother about Kim Kardashian supporting her and advocating for her, she was just shocked and couldn’t believe it,” Lucio’s son John told TMZ. He said his mother is “just in awe” of Kim’s efforts and added that it “has really lifted her spirits.”
“You know, it’s been 15 years she’s been incarcerated, and it’s come to the last days and Kim Kardashian came into the picture,” he said.
See Kim K’s tweet and John Lucio’s interview below.