Originally published at National Catholic Register
The Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee hopes to have Robert Roberson appear to testify in person at another time.
A Texas death-row inmate whose execution was recently halted was prevented from testifying at the state Capitol on Monday after the office of Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton refused to let him testify in person, citing security concerns.
The Supreme Court of Texas granted an emergency motion last week to halt the execution of Robert Roberson, which had been scheduled to take place Oct. 17.
In an opinion issued when the Texas Supreme Court halted the execution, Justice Evan Young noted that the state Legislature “has subpoenaed an inmate subject to a sentence of death to appear as a witness” and that “if the sentence is carried out, the witness obviously cannot appear.”
Bishop Joe Vásquez of the local Diocese of Austin told EWTN News Nightly that the bishops of Texas, who praised the halting of Roberson’s execution, believe that “he is innocent, and at least his case should be reviewed.”
Roberson was convicted in 2003 of the murder of his infant daughter, Nikki, whom he had brought to a local hospital with severe injuries. Roberson claimed the baby had
