Listen as Melissa Lucio learns her life has been spared

On Monday, Melissa Lucio was told by a state lawmaker that she was not going to be executed this week.

Listen to the conversation between state Rep. Jeff Leach, a Plano Republican, and Lucio, whose death sentence has drawn international outcry as more people come to doubt her guilt in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez.

Here is a transcript of their conversation:

Lucio: Hello.

Leach: Melissa.

Lucio: Yes.

Leach: Hey, this is Jeff Leach.

Lucio: Yes, sir.

Leach: How are you today?

Lucio: I'm doing fine. How are you?

Leach: Good, have you heard the news?

Lucio: No, what?

Leach: You haven't heard the news yet?

Lucio: No. What happened?

Leach: The Court of Criminal Appeals issued a stay of your execution for Wednesday.

Lucio: Are you serious!? Are you serious!? When did this happen?!

Leach: We just got word about 15 minutes ago.

Lucio: Oh my God. That is wonderful. Oh my God. What does that mean?

Leach: Well, it means you're going to wake up on Thursday morning.

Lucio: Oh my goodness! Oh thank you, God.

Leach: You're not making the trip to Huntsville on Wednesday, and the the order was very strong in that it appears that you're going to get a new trial at the very least, they —

Lucio: Oh my goodness. That is so wonderful. Thank you so much!

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2022/04/25/melissa-lucio-execution-reprieve/.

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