AUSTIN — Death row inmate Robert Roberson has been subpoenaed to testify Monday before a Texas House committee about the state’s “junk science” law, “shaken baby syndrome” and his case.
The noon hearing will be livestreamed on the House website.
The Criminal Jurisprudence Committee will hear from Roberson and other invited witnesses. No public testimony will be taken.
Committee members have said they want Roberson, whose execution was blocked by the Texas Supreme Court late Thursday, to discuss the way the state’s junk science law has affected his case. The law was designed to let inmates challenge convictions based on science that was later discredited or found to be in error.
Defense lawyers say Roberson’s conviction in the death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki, relied on doctor testimony that her injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome, which they say is a now-discredited theory.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state’s highest criminal court, has rejected Roberson’s attempts to use the junk science law to overturn his conviction.
The committee includes five Republicans and four Democrats and is chaired by Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, with Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, serving as vice chair.