Author: Liliana Segura

Nikki was found unconscious with blue lips by her father, Robert Roberson, on January 31, 2002, after being ill the previous week. Despite medical errors and debunked science, Roberson was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death for Nikki’s death due to shaken baby syndrome. Texas plans to execute Roberson, disregarding the unreliable science that led to his conviction. Roberson challenged his conviction under Texas’s “junk science writ,” but courts failed to overturn the ruling. Texas’s Court of Criminal Appeals, meant to correct wrongful convictions, has consistently failed to uphold the law. The state’s judicial system has not adequately addressed flawed…

Richard Glossip’s case has taken a new turn with lawyer Christopher G. Michel stepping in as the defender against Oklahoma’s Attorney General Gentner Drummond. Drummond seeks to overturn the conviction due to prosecutorial misconduct, a stance Michel vehemently opposes. With years of mounting evidence challenging Glossip’s guilt, Michel dismisses Drummond’s concerns, claiming the court need not consider them. The case takes a critical look at key legal principles meant to protect defendants and ensure truthfulness in trials. The withheld evidence, including Sneed’s mental health issues, raises questions about Glossip’s fate. While Glossip’s lawyers push for an evidentiary hearing, Michel argues…

Uncovering the Harsh Reality of Convictions Based on Junk Science Is there a constitutional right not to be convicted based on junk science? The U.S. Supreme Court has sidestepped this question for years, leading Justice Sonia Sotomayor to call for legislative action to address this pressing issue. Recently, the court refused to review Charles McCrory’s case, where bite-mark evidence led to his conviction in 1985. This discredited forensic practice has resulted in numerous wrongful convictions. While some states have established avenues for appeal for cases based on unreliable science, the legal system often struggles to correct such injustices. McCrory’s case…

Richard Rojem Jr. faced the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, pleading for his life just 10 days before his scheduled execution. Convicted of abducting, raping, and murdering his stepdaughter, Layla Cummings, Rojem maintained his innocence. Despite exculpatory DNA evidence and a tumultuous legal history, his clemency plea was denied unanimously. Accused of a brutal crime in 1984, Rojem’s defense faced numerous setbacks, including inadequate legal representation and the suppression of critical evidence. His multiple sentencing trials failed to consider his traumatic childhood experiences, which could have influenced the outcome. As his execution loomed, Rojem reflected on his life in prison…