Contributed by KXAN News in Austin, TX
Death row inmate Robert Roberson’s execution has been delayed until after a hearing before the Texas House of Representative’s committee on criminal jurisprudence on Oct. 21. Just a day before he was set to be executed he was summoned to appear and testify to the committee, according to a state representative’s social media post.
Roberson, 57, had been convicted after a jury found him guilty for killing his two-year-old daughter in 2002. Advocates for Roberson say that doctors misdiagnosed the child’s injuries by using faulty and outdated science.
Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, posted a picture of the summons on social media Wednesday night. Moody is the chair of the committee on criminal jurisprudence.
“We have looked at the evidence in this case in depth. Based on the laws we created, we had a much different expectation of how this would go than what actually happened,” Moody said. “We will get answers.”
Roberson was scheduled for execution on Thursday, Oct. 17. Judge Jessica Mangrum of the 200th Civil District Court in Travis County considered the subpoena and granted a temporary restraining order that day, which delays the execution.
KXAN has reached out to Texas Department of Criminal Justice for comment on the order. It said it was aware of the subpoena and “working with the Office of Attorney General on next steps.”
