The execution of Robert Roberson , a Texan who could be the first in the U.S. to receive the lethal injection for "shaken baby syndrome," is set for tomorrow.
Roberson, who has autism, was sentenced to death for killing his two-year-old daughter Nikki more than two decades ago by violently shaking her and causing her a fatal head injury . But his case has sparked controversy, with a cross-party movement in his defense that includes the likes of author John Grisham : "Roberson could die on October 17 for a crime that never happened," the famous author wrote in an editorial published in the Washington Post.
The "shaken baby syndrome", first described in the mid-1970s, is now discredited in medical circles, according to the lawyers of the convicted. "Roberson was convicted on the basis of pseudoscience", the lawyers claim, while various errors were allegedly committed in the case of little Nikki, who arrived at the hospital in a comatose state in February 2002 : the doctors did not consider other diagnoses in addition to "shaken baby syndrome", including the child's fever of 40 degrees before she lost consciousness, a possible double pneumonia and a combination of drugs now deemed unsuitable for pediatric use.
Not only that, the investigators judged the father's reaction to be "poor" and "without the right emotional involvement": a heartless killer, they said, without taking into account that Roberson suffered from a form of autism.
“We’re going to shine a light on this case so that all 31 million Texans can understand more. And hopefully by tomorrow, we’ll be able to put this story to rest,” said Rep. Jeff Leach, a member of the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, who is part of a bipartisan group of more than 80 state lawmakers who have asked the parole board and Gov. Greg Abbott to halt tomorrow’s execution.
Not all experts agree that "shaken baby syndrome" is discredited. The American Academy of Pediatrics still accepts it as a valid diagnosis of "abuse-induced head trauma," while the Centers for Disease Control says it is the leading cause of abuse-related death in children under five.
(Unioneonline/D)
