According to Stevens, Wallace rushed Lacaze, and the two men began fighting. Hulu Acquires Tribeca Documentary 'The State of Texas vs - Variety 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). 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. Women on death row RT Documentary - RT International Carty's cell phone records were introduced and showed 11 calls logged between 12:50a.m. and 2:50a.m. on 16 May 2001 between Carty's phone and the cell phone number that led police to Gerald Anderson. The letter said Carty was being set up by "Chris and Zeb," who borrowed Carty's car and put the baby in it. Director Sabrina Van Tassel Stars Kay Bess Christian Ackerley Jovelle Carty Death row exonerees including Kwame Ajamu, right, listens to speakers during a Witness to Innocence news conference marking the organization's 15th anniversary at the at the National Constitution . [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. 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. As the employees cleaned the closed restaurant, Chau Vu went into the kitchen to count money and entered the dining room of the restaurant to pay Ronald A. Williams II. Officials set her execution date for April 27. The motive is to collect her roommate's $100,000 mortgage insurance policy. In at least three of those cases, evidence suggests that no crime occurred; the children died of medical conditions or accidents, not homicide. During her litigation, Lucio earned notoriety as the first Hispanic woman on death row in Texas. 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. "[24], On April 25, 2022, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued a stay of execution and ordered the 138th Judicial District Court of Cameron County to consider new evidence of Lucio's innocence in the death of her daughter. Frank entered the front door using the key she had stolen from the restaurant earlier and walked quickly past Williams, pushing Chau, Chau's brother Quoc, and a restaurant employee into the doorway of the restaurant's kitchen. New subscribers only. However, such recommendations are rare. Waiting To Be Executed: Life On Death Row (Trevor McDonald Documentary [22], In April 2022, a juror on the trial, Johnny Galvan Jr., wrote in the Houston Chronicle that he had wrongly succumbed to peer pressure during deliberations and had changed his vote from a life sentence to the death penalty. At times, they thought Frank veered into irrational behavior. [8] She admitted to having spanked Mariah, but denied ever having abused her, which she repeated more than 100 times. Antoinette Frank Women On Death Row - My Crime Library This appeal was rejected on April 7, 2004. The State of Texas vs. Melissa is a telling and compelling snapshot of the brutality of everyday life in capitalist America. Following Mariah's death, Lucio was arrested and questioned for seven hours by Texas Ranger Victor Escalon without a lawyer present, and without receiving food or water. Carty wrote out what she wanted the letter to say, and Hernandez copied it. 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. We followed them down the green line.Subscribe Free Documentary Channel for free: https://bit.ly/2YJ4XzQJoin the club and become a Free Documentary Patron: https://www.patreon.com/freedocumentaryInstagram: https://instagram.com/free.documentary/Facebook: https://bit.ly/2QfRxbGTwitter: https://bit.ly/2QlwRiI#FreeDocumentary #Documentary #WomenOnDeathRowFree Documentary is dedicated to bringing high-class documentaries to you on YouTube for free. RELATED: Family of woman on death row claims she's innocent, pleads for her release. Serving Time 45m Years after leaving the military, Toby Gregory claims his service and PTSD caused him to murder his wife, Inez. [1], Chau and Frank were questioned in detail while seated at different tables in the restaurant. Faces of Death Row | The Texas Tribune Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh . If a majority of the Board of Pardons and Paroles were to recommend it, Governor Greg Abbott could grant clemency. Who are they? 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. I'm responsible. Despite the defense's arguments, Lucio was found guilty of capital murder and later sentenced to death in 2008. Frank and Lacaze had been shouting at Ha and Cuong, demanding the restaurant's money, but they did not know where Chau had hidden it. NOPD officials also thought having more African-Americans like Frank on the force would ease longstanding racial tensions in the majority-black city. However, she was smitten by Lacaze's "bad boy" persona, and their relationship soon turned sexual. 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. #FreeMelissaLucio: Innocent Woman on Death Row in Texas Medical evidence showed that the girl had never been sexually assaulted and may actually have died from being hit by a car.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Texas Death Row houses at the moment 5 women. Frank informed him that Lacaze was with her and ordered him released. 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. But worn down from a lifetime of abuse and the grief of. [13] Michael Goldberg of Baker Botts accuses Guerinot, who never won a death penalty case over his entire career, of failing to call any witnesses who might have persuaded the jury that she did not deserve execution. She was convicted of capital murder after the death of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, who was found to have scattered bruising in various stages of healing, as well as injuries to her head and contusions of the kidneys, lungs and spinal cord. [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]. The documentary outlines why her conviction was an egregious miscarriage of justice. Set in the heart of the Latino community of South Texas, the film explores the life and trials of Melissa Lucio, the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death row in Texas, the state. On one occasion, Lacaze accompanied her on a complaint call where she introduced him as a "trainee"; on other occasions, she introduced Lacaze as her nephew. Bryant ordered Wallace to drop the gun, which he did immediately and was restrained; Lacaze then lunged toward Wallace, but Bryant grabbed him. [25], A 2020 documentary by Sabrina Van Tassel titled The State of Texas vs. Melissa follows Lucio's case. On the surface, she checks all the boxes of the ideal culprit. 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.". It is an adaptation of John Grisham's non-fiction book, 'The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town,' published in 2006. The association between Frank and Lacaze became noticeable after other police officers witnessed Lacaze driving her car, and even observed him moving her police unit at the scene of an accident she was investigating. He continued by telling her, "We already know what happened". In 2008, Lucio became the first Latina woman sentenced to death in Texas. Only . A psychiatrist retained by the state disagreed that Frank showed symptoms of trauma; he agreed with the diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder with antisocial tendencies given to Frank by doctors at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women. Lucio was addicted to cocaine and tested positive shortly after Mariah was born; this prompted authorities to place her children in foster care. Medical evidence indicated that the cause of death was likely cystic kidney disease or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). I realized there had been no investigation whatsoever, that none of her family were allowed to testify at her trial. 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. She grew up in a seemingly idyllic home in Enid, Oklahoma. Subscribe to see a little more of the world with our premium documentaries. This is the documentary that the U.S government doesn't want you to see!This documentary has been uploaded for EDUCATION purposes and to show the public the harsh realities of what CAPITAL PUNISHMENT really meansand the horror of getting it wrong.You will have a fly on the wall view of condemned man EDWARD EARL JOHNSON and his lawyer over the space of 14 days. [34], In 2012, she appeared on a segment of Werner Herzog's series On Death Row, broadcast on the Discovery Channel program Investigation Discovery. Although Frank's attorneys had subpoenaed 39 witnesses, they didn't call a single one. Frank's attorneys introduced the testimony of psychiatrists who said that possible traumatic events in Frank's childhood could have affected her behavior at the time of the murders and she may have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. 2007)", "State supreme court blocks ex-cop's execution date", "Antoinette Frank case to stay in Marullo's courtroom", "Kim Anh trial judge's testimony sought during appeal seeking post-conviction relief", "Death Row for Ex-Cop Who Killed Partner and 2 Others", "Victims' family in cop killing, triple murder stunned by retrial", "Rogers LaCaze granted new trial in '95 eastern New Orleans triple homicide", "Appellate court overturns new trial order for Rogers Lacaze in 1995 New Orleans triple murder", "Louisiana women's prison shuttered after flood, nearly 1,000 inmates relocated to various lockups", "Rogers Lacaze, Antoinette Frank's co-conspirator, no longer facing death after resentencing", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Antoinette_Frank&oldid=1142930935, This page was last edited on 5 March 2023, at 02:18. Melissa Lucio's case has gained national attention. [11], In 1993, a year and a half before the murders at the Kim Anh, Frank's father had stayed at her home for a time before she then reported him missing. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, women are rarely sentenced to death in the United States and executions of women are even rarer. The project is an unflinching look at a deeply diseased society, corrupted through and through by social inequality and the aristocratic principle that the wealthy and powerful can do whatever they want, while the poor and powerless are to be humiliated and degraded. How Melissa Lucio Went From Abuse Survivor to Death Row 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. U.S. capital punishment - share of prisoners with a death sentence 2020, by gender. Lucio, a 53-year-old Mexican-American mum, was found guilty in 2008 of the death of her two-year-old daughter Mariah, who died in 2007 after falling down the stairs.. Save your data and watch offline. She was scheduled for execution on April 27, 2022. HOUSTON During hours of relentless questioning, Melissa Lucio more than 100 times had denied fatally beating her 2-year-old daughter. Written and directed by Sabrina Van Tassel. Lucio was convicted in 2008, and her execution date is April 27, when she is set to receive a lethal injection. KVUE on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube, Tanvi Varma on social media: Twitter| Instagram. The intruders left, taking the baby with them. After midnight on March 4, 1995, Frank and Lacaze visited Kim Anh, a Vietnamese restaurant run by the Vu family in New Orleans East. 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. In the similar case of Manuel Velez, a man who was initially convicted for murdering a one-year-old baby and whose death sentence was overturned after further investigation, Farley's conclusions had also been contradicted by other medical experts. 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. The Innocent Man (2018) 'The Innocent Man,' an American true-crime documentary television series, first aired on Netflix on December 14, 2018. When asked why she would continue the relationship, knowing that Lacaze had been involved in dealing drugs and a shooting, she responded that she would not disassociate herself from him just because of his past. In May, however, the Louisiana Supreme Court issued a 90-day stay of execution effective June 10 pending ongoing appeals. Brenda was a good student who always earned above-average grades. [27] On April 17, 2022, in the main segment of another episode, called "Police Interrogations", Lucio's case was mentioned again as having every hallmark of a false confession.[28]. 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. - YouTube 0:00 / 1:25:47 THIS DEATH ROW DOCUMENTARY WILL CHANGE YOU FOREVER! [20], On July 23, 2015, retired district judge Michael Kirby threw out Rogers Lacaze's conviction and sentence and ordered a new trial. An investigator with the Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DOC) believed this was the first contact between the two, although in her statement, Frank claims that they met some eight months before the murders. In her statement, she claimed that she and Lacaze were not dating and had never been intimate. Box 301501 Montgomery, Alabama 36130-1501 webmaster@doc.alabama.gov Eddie Rantz, the homicide detective who worked the case, believed Frank and Lacaze planned the robbery to get revenge on Williams. She had scattered bruising, bite marks on her back, patches of hair that had been pulled out, and a broken arm. Executing Melissa will not bring peace to her surviving children. Lucio's sister, Sonya Valencia Alvarez, said Lucio has spent the last 15 years grieving her daughter and Lucio's son, John Vincent Lucio, said his sister died by accident when she fell down a set of stairs. Inmates on death row do not have regular TDCJ-ID numbers; they have special death row numbers. The state supreme court ruled on the case again. Women on Death Row (4) 54min 2022 16+ Less than 2% of the inmate population awaiting execution on death row are women. [30][33], Carty is presently being held on death row at the Mountain View Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. [5] When Chau went to pay Williams, Chau noticed Frank approaching the restaurant. I'm just angry', "Death Row Gran Faces 'Imminent Execution', "British grandmother on death row in US case to be reviewed after witnesses 'threatened', "Press Release: British death row grandmother granted new hearing", "Search - Supreme Court of the United States", "Supreme Court turns down appeal from British woman on Texas death row", "Court rejects appeal from British woman on Texas death row", "David Rose on the inept handling of British citizen Linda Carty's murder trail", "Op-Ed: 12 myths about Linda Carty debunked", "Fifth Circuit appeal, Appendix A, Page 10", "Linda Carty - Women on Death Row Linda Carty", "Woman given death sentence in kidnap case", "Death-row inmate Linda Carty launches last-chance appeal to US Supreme Court - Times Online", "Death-row grandmother Linda Carty in last-ditch plea", "Supreme Court rejects plea from British woman on death row", "Death Row Briton Linda Carty faces execution in US after losing appeal", https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-50/58868/20180808145239714_Amicus%20Curiae%20Brief%20Linda%20Anita%20Carty%20v.%20Texas%2018-50.pdf, "Op-Ed: Linda Carty's other lawyer sets the record straight", "Death row grandmother in Trafalgar Square plea", "Texas Department of Criminal Justice Offender Search", The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Amicus Curiae brief by the UK government in support of Carty, Website of Agency Involved in Carty's Appeal, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Linda_Carty&oldid=1134980423. We decided to follow five of them. Then he yelled that "she" was outside and that they had to go. 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. Absolute Documentaries brings you the best of entertaining and fascinating documentaries for free. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He joined the New Orleans Police Department in 1991 and was a married father of two. Melissa Lucio: Texas woman on death row receives bipartisan - CNN Sentenced to the death penalty, her execution is scheduled for April 27 at the Huntsville Penitentiary.. As the deadline nears, her attorneys have asked the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles . Watch I AM A KILLER | Netflix Official Site [27], In 2018, she petitioned the Supreme Court again, arguing that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals "refused to consider the cumulative prejudice" of constitutional errors in her case, including ineffective assistance of counsel and the State intentionally withholding "numerous items" of exculpatory evidence; however, the Court denied certiorari. In February 2002, she was sentenced to death for the abduction and murder in 2001 of 25-year-old Joana Rodriguez in order to steal Rodriguez's newborn son. Melissa Lucio execution: Texas court provides time to prove innocence But Ms. Lucio and her family never got to mourn the loss of her youngest daughter because, within hours of her passing, they were swept up into a nightmare that has lasted more than 14 years and torn their family apart. [3][4] Carty claimed she was framed by her co-defendants who were drug dealers[5] because she had previously been an informant. Frank refused to discuss her relationship with Lacaze during the DOC investigation, except to say that she was trying to help him. Start Your Free Trial New subscribers only. However, during her interview with the DOC investigator, Frank claimed to have had a male suitor but refused to go into specifics because he worked for the police department. We decided to follow five of them. more Director: Sabrina Van Tassel Documentaries Movie 2020 5.1 hd Stream thousands of shows and movies, with plans starting at $7.99/month. Lucio earned notoriety as the first Hispanic woman on death row in Texas. [25] Lacaze is serving his sentence at the Louisiana State Penitentiary ("Angola") in West Feliciana Parish. On February 21, she was sentenced to death by lethal injection. Citing trial court interference in her right to present a defense, a federal appeals court has overturned the conviction of Melissa Lucio, a Texas mother who was sentenced to death for murdering her two-year-old daughter.In an unpublished, unsigned opinion issued on July 29, 2019, a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said that trial court rulings that blocked Melissa Elizabeth Lucio from calling an expert witness to challenge the reliability of statements she gave to police violated Lucios right to present a complete defense. The appeals court reversed a federal district court decision that had upheld Lucios conviction and death sentence and returned the case to the lower court to grant Lucio a new trial.Several people have been exonerated from death row after being wrongfully convicted of killing children. Texas lawmakers push for clemency or reprieve for Melissa Lucio, woman The two men got in a car and drove several blocks until a police vehicle pulled the car over. 60 women are waiting for their execution on death row. The letter cites significant doubts about "Ms. Lucios guilt, her disparate treatment compared to her husband and co-defendant, who received a four-year sentence, and the impact her execution will have on her supportive family and faith community.". [22][23][24][25] However, on May 3, 2010, the Court refused to review the case, denying certiorari. She told them that a car she had rented and her daughter's car might have been used in the crime. In early May 2001, Carty and her husband separated. She was convicted of the murder of one of her sons while. Thats a fact. Williams started to follow, hoping to find out what was happening when shots rang out. 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. This appeal was rejected on September 19, 2009. They found various items of baby paraphernalia.[3]. Two more children (twins) were born while she was imprisoned. US prisons are filled with countless Melissa Lucios. We decided to follow five of them. Who are they? During her litigation, Lucio earned notoriety as the first Hispanic woman on. Profile of Death Row Inmate Brenda Andrew - ThoughtCo 4th Circuit appellate judges Edwin Lombard, Paul Bonin and Madeleine Landrieu ruled "After review of the state's writ application in light of the applicable law and arguments of the parties, we find that the trial court erred in finding that the seating of Mr. Settle on the defendant's jury was a structural error entitling him to a new trial".[23]. [15] In a new round of appeals, defense attorneys argued they had had too little time to review the voluminous record before the deadline for filing appeals. Lucio, 53, is a mum of 14 Credit: AP. Who are they? 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. Divided Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Texas On May 22, 2007, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled 52 that the death penalty should be upheld. [15], A 2011 appeal against the conviction was denied by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. She has maintained her innocence, and Cornell Law School professor Sandra Babcock has called the prosecution "by far the weakest capital case I've ever seen". Lucio was convicted of killing her daughter, Mariah Alvarez, 15 years ago in Harlingen, Texas. Women on Death Row | Free Documentary - YouTube 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. 13 Best Murder Documentaries on Netflix Right Now - The Cinemaholic Prior to the murders, others testified that Frank and Lacaze would pull over and rob motorists while in a squad car. The parole board was scheduled to vote on Lucio's clemency petition two days before the execution. His main tip-off had been using Williams' Chevron credit card at a Chevron station in Gretna just minutes after the robbery and murders.