According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice: On May 16, 2001, Carty and three co-defendants invaded a home and kidnapped a 25-year-old female and her newborn son. In. A court will consider new evidence regarding the case of Melissa Lucio and the death of her daughter, Mariah. Frank refused to discuss anything regarding the murders - every time the investigator asked her a question, she told him to "look it up in the record" or asserted her innocence. Written and directed by Sabrina Van Tassel French-American filmmaker Sabrina Van Tassel's heart-wrenching documentary The State of Texas vs. Melissa, now streaming on Hulu, chronicles the case. This appeal was rejected on April 7, 2004. At times, they thought Frank veered into irrational behavior. AUSTIN, Texas A bipartisan group of lawmakers held a press conference at the Texas Capitol on Thursday to discuss their support of clemency or a reprieve for Melissa Lucio. Subscribe to see a little more of the world with our premium documentaries. Due to streaming rights, a few shows with an ad break before and after. Antoinette Frank applied to the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) in early 1993. Read the Clemency Petition here. I'm responsible. On March 22, 2022, ITV broadcast British Grandma on Death Row with Susanna Reid, in which Carty continued to protest her innocence. French-American filmmaker Sabrina Van Tassels heart-wrenching documentary The State of Texas vs. Melissa, now streaming on Hulu, chronicles the case of Melissa Lucio, the first Hispanic woman in Texas on death row, where she has languished for 13 years. [26], On March 6, 2022, in the main segment of an episode of the HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver called "Wrongful Convictions", her case was the main one to be mentioned as a reason for the reform of the American justice system and specifically, the abolition of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA). Lacaze was re-sentenced to life imprisonment without parole on December 13, 2019. Melissa Lucio was the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death in Texas. Lawmakers are saying this would add more pain to Lucios family, after already suffering the death of Mariah 15 years ago. According to the warrant, Frank was scheduled for execution by lethal injection on July 15, 2008. However, the United Kingdom lacks any legal forum to obtain redress for this breach. Fronted by the Good Morning Britain presenter, the film will. It all seemed very bizarre to me, I would also like people to realize that death row targets the poor, and it targets Black and Brown lives. It played at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020, and won best documentary at the Raindance Film Festival. [13], On April 22, 2008, District Judge Frank Marullo signed the death warrant for Antoinette Frank. We also discuss breaking news of the confirmed date for Lisa Montgomery's execution, Eric Menendez's retrial, and why the new Netflix documentary film American . The broadcaster . In her statement, she claimed that she and Lacaze were not dating and had never been intimate. 2d 724 (La. The brief states that Lucio's subdued behavior and acquiescence during interrogation were the result of prior trauma as a survivor of abuse. She grew up in a seemingly idyllic home in Enid, Oklahoma. [14][15], In 1992, Carty was convicted of auto theft and impersonation of an FBI agent. Lucio's case was the subject of a 2020 documentary, The State of Texas vs. Melissa. May 15, 2018. Blanche Taylor Moore Talk Read Edit View history Blanche Kiser Taylor Moore (born February 17, 1933) is an American convicted murderer and possible serial killer from Alamance County, North Carolina. Antoinette Frank is on Louisiana death row for the murders of three people including a fellow police officer. Kirby said that Lacaze deserved a new trial because one of the jurors hid the fact that he was a Louisiana state trooper and previously worked as a railroad policeman. intentionally withholding "numerous items" of exculpatory evidence, List of women on death row in the United States, "Linda Carty: 'I'm not afraid of dying. - YouTube 0:00 / 1:25:47 THIS DEATH ROW DOCUMENTARY WILL CHANGE YOU FOREVER! ", "Her execution date looming, a mother maintains innocence in 2-year-old daughter's death", "Execution date set for Harlingen mom for murdering daughter", "Melissa Lucio execution - latest: Kim Kardashian appeals to Texas governor as juror says death sentence wrong", "Death row mum-of-14 hopes new videos could clear her of toddler's fatal fall", "Texas Set to Execute Melissa Lucio Despite Credible Claims of Innocence", "Former Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos Sentenced To Federal Prison In Connection With South Texas Bribery Scheme", "Harlingen woman faces April execution for daughter's 2007 murder", "Melissa Elizabeth Lucio v. The State of Texas (concurring)", "Federal Appeals Court Overturns Mother's Conviction in Texas Child Murder Case That May Have Been an Accidental Death", "Divided Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Texas Mother of Child Who May Have Died in Accidental Fall", "Court Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law: Manuel Velez", "A Texas mother could be executed in April. In February 2021, the 2019 grant of relief was reversed. THEREFORE IT IS ALLOWED UNDER FAIR USE.This video has been uploaded following reasons:1) To demonstrate to the public the harsh reality of what a sentence of \"DEATH\" really means.2) To show the full horror of what it means to get it wrong when an innocent man is executed.3) The lasting damage it often causes to those carrying out the sentenceon all sides.4) The data shows the death penalty does not work as a deterrent.5) Too many innocent people are executed.Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. She emigrated to the United States in 1982 and is a United States citizen. The documentary stands as a rebuke to the indifference of the media and the fanatical self-obsession of the identity politics crowd who could care less about the fate of people like Van Tassels subject. It is an adaptation of John Grisham's non-fiction book, 'The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town,' published in 2006. Read the Supplemental Clemency Petition here. Posing as a responding officer, she intended to kill Chau and Quoc to ensure there would be no witnesses. We decided to follow five of them. Women on death row case 17. The Evers were devout Christians who enjoyed gathering for family meals, holding group prayers, and living a quiet life. Frank currently resides at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in St. Gabriel, Louisiana, the only woman on the state's death row. She stated that he was often addicted to drugs and alcohol and was physically abusive. Brenda Evers was born on December 16, 1963. The children rely on the school for food and hygiene.. [5][30] Carty stated that "it was too difficult just to kill me, so they hatched this plot. We decided to follow five of them. [3] Carty has claimed that she was framed by three men for her work as an informant with the Drug Enforcement Administration. "[5] "Anderson, Robinson, and Williams, the other co-defendants in the kidnapping and murder, were given prison terms, but none received the death penalty after testifying against Carty. Van Tassel has directed more than 45 documentary films over the last 15 years for major television programs. If you watch the documentary, you can see the stairs that she fell on," John Vincent Lucio. Antoinette Renee Frank (born April 30, 1971) is a former officer of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) who, on March 4, 1995, committed a violent armed robbery at a restaurant which resulted in the killing of two members of the Vietnamese-American family who ran the establishment, and fellow NOPD officer Ronald A. Williams II. According to this second warrant, Frank was scheduled for execution by lethal injection on December 8, 2008. [3] Lucio says she was sexually abused by her mother's boyfriend for about two years, beginning when she was seven years old. Then she directed them to a location where both cars were found: the live baby was in one, and the suffocated victim was in the back of the other. Lacaze had slipped behind Williams and shot him in the neck, severing his spinal cord and instantly paralyzing him. Carty told her husband on 15 May that she would have a baby boy the next day. They told me that I was the first person in 13 years to ask anything about her casethat even her lawyer at the time of her trial had never tried to meet them. While some of them hope to have their cases reviewed. My gut told me that it was all messed up., Jason Flom, the founder of Lava Records who is an Innocence Project board member and the creator of the podcast Wrongful Conviction told Variety that the awful case of Melissa Lucio is an appalling example of just how broken our criminal legal system truly is., She was a victim, Flom went on, of a vicious and corrupt prosecutor who himself is currently serving time in federal prison [Armando Villalobos was convicted of bribery and extortion in 2014 for accepting over $100,000 in exchange for favorable outcomes in criminal trials and is currently serving a 13-year sentence in prison]; an incompetent and quite possibly compromised defense attorney; junk science; and above alla society in which the odds were stacked against her from birth., A court document highlights the horrific social conditions that afflicted Melissa and her children: The familys water has been turned off for a month. Officials set her execution date for April 27. Enjoy stories about nature, wildlife, culture, people, history and more to come. It was later determined that Mariah's arm had been broken two to seven weeks before her death, and an autopsy also showed a head injury and bruising of the kidneys, lungs and spinal cord. By what name was Women On Death Row (2017) officially released in Canada in English? Directors Sabrina van Tassel Starring Kay Bess, Linda Carty, Oliver E Diaz Genres Melissas family, and some of her children, felt so railroaded by the justice system, they didnt trust anyone anymore. The director further explained that Melissas children have been placed all over Texas. January 18, 2020 Dive in these women's lives full of horror, hope, death, and love, in one of the most terrible places in the USA, death row. Stay current with additional news, entertainment, and lifestyle programming from American Heroes Channel, BET Her, Boomerang, CNBC World, Cooking Channel, Crime + Investigation, Destination America, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, Magnolia Network, Military History Channel, MTV2, MTV Classic, Nick Toons,Science, and Teen Nick. Please note that the Shop Hulu site is owned and operated by Snowcommerce. I was wrong", "I am sending a letter to Governor @GregAbbot_Tx", "Texas death row prisoner Melissa Lucio granted stay of execution", "Hulu Acquires U.S. Rights to Tribeca Documentary, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Melissa_Lucio&oldid=1139933110, Articles with failed verification from December 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 16:02. At that point, Wallace saw Lacaze and noticed he was holding a gun. Antoinette Renee Frank (born April 30, 1971) is a former officer of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) who, on March 4, 1995, committed a violent armed robbery at a restaurant which resulted in the killing of two members of the Vietnamese-American family who ran the establishment, and fellow NOPD officer Ronald A. Williams II. Additional terms apply. The Fear of 13 is definitely one of the best prison documentaries out there, narrated entirely by Nick Yarris, an inmate on death row. The Mississippi Supreme Court overturned Butlers conviction in 1992.Rodricus Crawford was convicted and sentenced to death in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, on charges that he had smothered his infant son. Prosecutors said that Mariah's injuries were the result of physical abuse, while Lucio's attorneys say that her death was caused by a fall down the stairs two days prior. Seven of those calls were placed between 1:09a.m. and 1:14a.m. Sarah Hernandez testified that she met Carty while they were both serving time in jail. At the time, commissioned law enforcement officers were legally barred from sitting on a jury. Absolute Documentaries is part of the Little Dot Studios Network. Prisoners on death row in the U.S. tend to be men. During her litigation, Lucio earned notoriety as the first Hispanic woman on death row in Texas. Reprieve claims that her defense attorney did not present mitigating evidence. Shes a mother of 14 children, with a history of drug abuse and a life of poverty, who is accused of abusing her younger daughter to death.. Start Your Free Trial New subscribers only. [13], Lucio was pregnant with twins at the time of Mariah's death, and authorities compelled her to place them for adoption after delivering them while in jail. She was sentenced to 10 years probation,[16] on the condition she would work as a drug informant. That is why most poor defendants accept plea deals even if theyre innocent. [4], Two men who claimed they met Lacaze at a party on February 4, 1995, John Stevens and Anthony Wallace, testified in court. Three older children went to live in Houston with their father, and Lucio regained custody of the others in late 2006.[5]. ***** Update August 1, 2019 - From Death Penalty Information Center -Melissa Lucio gets a new trial. Eddie Rantz, the homicide detective who worked the case, believed Frank and Lacaze planned the robbery to get revenge on Williams. [13] She was previously a primary school teacher. As early as August 1993, Frank's superiors wanted to send her back to the academy for further training. As of January 1, 2022, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund said there were 50 women on death row across the United States. This film not only depicts the America of the less fortunate, but also the fate of a woman who was a victim from the day she was born, a woman who has been crushed by the American judicial system., Confined behind a glass partition, wearing white prison garb, her face washed out in the artificial lighting, Melissa appears stunned: I dont understand how the court system did this to me. Further on she comments: I had never been arrested before. Theyre saying that the evidence on Lucio is troubling and that they at the least want a stay of execution. [31] Carty also claims that she was interviewed without counsel being present on one occasion. Rantz subsequently described Frank as the most cold-hearted person he'd ever encountered in three decades as an officer. [5], Under the terms of the Bilateral Convention on Consular Officers (1951) between the United States and the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom's consular officials were entitled to be informed immediately upon her detention (art. ITV is looking into the unique story of Linda Carty in a new one-off documentary, British Grandma on Death Row with Susanna Reid. In early May 2001, Carty and her husband separated. Lucio then had seven children with Robert Alvarez. You will see fascinating shots from the deep seas and up in the air, capturing great stories and pictures from everything our beautiful and interesting planet has to offer. [2], On November 25, 1994, Frank handled an incident in which Rogers Lacaze, a known drug dealer, had been shot. made a material difference to the outcome of this case. Only . Parking in the rear, Frank entered through the restaurant's back door and made her way through the kitchen to the dining room, where Chau waited for help at the front door. [16] In 2019, a three-judge panel of the Federal Appeals Court overturned the sentence and ordered a retrial because of the trial court's interference in Lucio's right to present a defense. When he met her at the police station on 16 May after she had been arrested, he asked her if the baby had been born, and she told him "not yet.". Stevens began running, but another man appeared and grabbed both Lacaze and Wallace. Currently at a press conference where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are discussing clemency for Melissa Lucio, who has been sentenced to death on April 27th. Louisiana state Judge Laurie White heard the motion in September 2009 and, on January 3, 2010 ruled that Marullo should not be taken off the case. Beyond the Headlines: The Watts Family Tragedy, TV14 Crime, Documentaries TV Series (2020), Beyond the Headlines: The Jennifer Dulos Story, TV14 Documentaries, Award Shows & Events TV Series (2021), Secret Life of a Gang Girl: The Untold Story, TV14 Crime, Documentaries TV Series (2019), TVMA Documentaries, Drama Movie (2021). Written and directed by Sabrina Van Tassel. Justice is not suddenly restored because another person dies. Brenda was a good student who always earned above-average grades. [35] In November 2013, Carty's story was profiled on Investigation Discovery's documentary series Deadly Women, in an episode titled "Untamed Evil.". Inmates on death row do not have regular TDCJ-ID numbers; they have special death row numbers. Women on Death Row | Prison DocumentaryBehind Bars: South Cotabato Jail, Philippines: https://youtu.be/A8slYgeqGLwIn the United States, 54 women are \"on hold\" for the execution of their death sentence. Women Texas Continuing an unparalleled pattern of rulings adverse to Texas death-row prisoners, a divided U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has reinstated the conviction and death sentence of a mother convicted of killing her two-year-old daughter in what, the defense has argued, was actually an accidental fall. Melissa Elizabeth Lucio (born June 18, 1969) is the first woman of Hispanic descent to be sentenced to death in the U.S. state of Texas. The State of Texas wants to kill me, Melissa bluntly tells the camera in the movies opening sequence. The first season comprises six episodes and chronicles . However, since she is already facing the death penalty for the Kim Anh murders, they have made no effort to try her for her father's death. [16], In September 2009, Frank's lawyers moved to have Judge Marullo removed from her ongoing post-conviction appeals on grounds of bias, given that he had already signed two death warrants for her. Download titles to your supported device for on-the-go-streaming. LCIW was damaged by 2016 flooding, so its prisoners, including Frank, were moved to other prisons.[24]. According to court documents when the girls remains were weighed she weighed in just over thirty pounds. 8. Child Protective Services had previously investigated Lucio for allegations of child neglect, and they reported that Lucio's youngest children were often left in the care of their teenaged siblings. Esperanza Trevio, surrounded by family and friends, asked for the release of Lucio, her daughter, who is scheduled to be executed in April in Texas. Lucio's case was the subject of a 2020 documentary, The State of Texas vs. Melissa. [18][19] No female has been executed by the State of Louisiana since Toni Jo Henry died in the State's Electric chair in 1942. For ten years she has been awaiting her fate, and she now faces her last appeal. Hernandez said the letter was supposed to be from someone named Oscar. Viewers of Death Row's Women with Susanna Reid tonight clashed over whether Darlie Routier really murdered her two sons. [26] The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has the option to recommend clemency to the Governor of Texas. Linda Carty and Melissa Lucio are imprisoned in Texas. As of January 1, 2016 there were 55 women on death row. Although Frank's attorneys had subpoenaed 39 witnesses, they didn't call a single one. Melissa was a good person. Another sister claims the trial was a kangaroo court a circus, where the jury was laughing with the prosecutor and the judge. THIS DEATH ROW DOCUMENTARY WILL CHANGE YOU FOREVER! According to author Chuck Hustmyre, Frank was caught lying on several sections of her employment application and failed two standard psychiatric evaluations, with psychiatrist Philip Scurria advising against her hiring. [8] She admitted to having spanked Mariah, but denied ever having abused her, which she repeated more than 100 times. In 2020, Hulu produced the mentioned documentary, " The State of Texas vs. Melissa ," which detailed how she could be innocent. His main tip-off had been using Williams' Chevron credit card at a Chevron station in Gretna just minutes after the robbery and murders. On the surface, she checks all the boxes of the ideal culprit. [17], However, in media interviews, Carty has claimed that she was recruited by a friend from the Houston Police Department and that her work for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) helped land seizures of thousands of dollars worth of narcotics and led to the imprisonment of scores of dealers.[5]. It is a very unjust system you may well be on death row because you have a court-appointed attorney who doesnt have the means to defend you and a district attorneys office who has all the means in the world to get you convicted. DEATH ROW U.S.A. - WOMEN (6) - TEXAS Marley Records 14.1K subscribers Subscribe 458 65K views 5 years ago ***** Update August 1, 2019 - From Death Penalty Information Center - Melissa Lucio. Since 1976, Texas has executed more people than any other state (572), more than one-third the total number (1,534) of victims of this barbaric punishment, and is one of only two states to have put anyone to death during the pandemic. [13], Lucios defense argued that Mariah's injuries were from falling down the stairs, and that Lucio's psychological functioning contributed to her conflicting reports given to authorities. Get Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+, all with ads, for $12.99/mo. Lucio, 53, is a mum of 14 Credit: AP. Lisa Montgomery - the only female inmate on federal death row in the US - has been executed for murder. In an interview for a documentary broadcast by the UK's Channel 4, The British Woman on Death Row (November 28, 2011), the United Kingdom's Consul General in Houston at the time, Paul Lynch, stated that this breach:[32]. [3], Frank and Lacaze were indicted by an Orleans Parish grand jury on April 28, 1995. Do you want it?" Ind. Carty then informed him that she was pregnant with his child. The NOPD was chronically short-handed; at the time, its officers were paid less than in similarly sized cities, it was losing officers faster than they could be replaced, and the ranks had been decimated by several arrests for murder and drug activity. Despite this, Frank got a second chance to apply. Executing Melissa will not bring peace to her surviving children. Williams started to follow, hoping to find out what was happening when shots rang out. With the latest camera equipment used by well-known filmmakers working for famous production studios. Linda Anita Carty (born 5 October 1958) is a Kittitian-American[a] former schoolteacher who is on death row in Texas. Bryant thought the officer was making a traffic stop, but as he got closer, he saw the officer and two black men fighting on the side of the road. [7] Carty has appealed her conviction,[6][7][8] with her most recent petition to the United States Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari being denied by the Supreme Court on November 13, 2018. From inside the cooler, Chau and Quoc could partially see the restaurant's kitchen and front. They argued that the defense needed to conduct "an investigation into the defendant's background for possible mitigating evidence." Prior to the murders, others testified that Frank and Lacaze would pull over and rob motorists while in a squad car. The United Kingdom contends in its amicus curiae brief[23] in the US Supreme Court that it regards the US as having breached its obligations under international law. The victim's husband testified that while the intruders were in his home, one of them answered his cell phone and said, "We are inside here. Depicting an elderly woman and man with stern expressions, they remind the viewer of the North Korean leaders, rather than those of a free country. Marullo's signature appeared on an order authorizing Frank to take the murder weapon from the evidence room; Marullo has long maintained the signature was forged. Peer into the lives of five of these women as they grapple with the challenges and horror of living in one of the most terrible places imaginable. Carty wrote out what she wanted the letter to say, and Hernandez copied it. See production, box office & company info. The motive is to collect her roommate's $100,000 mortgage insurance policy. [30][33], Carty is presently being held on death row at the Mountain View Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The family is flushing the toilets with buckets of water. We decided to follow five of them. When Chau had let her out on the last visit, she could not find the front door key, and with Frank returning for the third time, she sensed something was wrong. On September 12, 1995, the jury needed only 22 minutes to return a guilty verdict on all countsat the time, a record for a capital murder case in New Orleans.
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