An autistic man is on death row for a crime he didn't commit.
Moises Avila with Chris Lefkow at AFP:
The Texas Supreme Court issued a last-minute stay of execution on Thursday to an autistic man whose murder conviction was based on what his lawyers say was a misdiagnosis of "shaken baby syndrome."
Robert Roberson, 57, had been scheduled to die by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville on Thursday for the February 2002 death of his two-year-old daughter, Nikki.
But the Texas Supreme Court temporarily stayed the execution following an appeal from Texas lawmakers who issued a subpoena to Roberson so he can testify before a House committee that is examining his conviction.
"If the sentence is carried out, the witness obviously cannot appear," wrote Justice Evan Young.
A bipartisan group of 86 Texas lawmakers has urged clemency for Roberson, citing "voluminous new scientific evidence" that casts doubt on his guilt, and the committee has subpoenaed him to testify on Monday.
