Melissa Lucio's son recalls the day baby Mariah died
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The fight to free Melissa Lucio continued Sunday as family and supporters called for her release from custody.
Lucio was scheduled to be executed on April 27, but the state halted it and sent the case back to a district court in Cameron County.
Lucio was convicted in 2008 of killing her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. Lucio’s attorneys continue to maintain her innocence, saying the baby died as a result of falling from steps—not from abuse.
RELATED: Melissa Lucio's family reacts after Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halts execution
One family member recalls the night of Feb. 17, 2007, when his baby sister didn’t wake up.
“When I look back on it, it just goes so fast,” said Robert Alvarez, son of Melissa Lucio. “How everything happened. You know, calling the ambulance, calling the police. Everything is just—that night is just—with the blink of an eye.”
Alvarez, one of Melissa’s sons, was there when paramedics were called to Lucio’s home in Harlingen.
“Me and my siblings, we’ve made it a thing to not really think about those times because it’s very, very hard for us,” Alvarez said. “I do remember my mom being there with my older sister Daniela.”
Alvarez says he also witnessed Mariah falling down the stairway days before.
John Lucio, another one of Melissa’s sons, is now working with Death Penalty Action to get Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz to drop the charges.
RELATED: Experts: Melissa Lucio faces tough fight to get new trial
“I felt like the nightmare was finally over and I mean, we’re onto a new journey,” Lucio said of his mother’s stay of execution. “Now we just got to have more faith. Keep our faith up and keep on fighting.”
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