Melissa Lucio Slated To Be First Woman Executed In Texas Since 2014, But Questions Remain About Her Case

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - She's one of six women on death row in Texas, and the only one who is Hispanic. As things stand, Melissa Lucio will head to the execution chamber on April 27th.

Texas State representative Jeff Leach, who represents District 67, chairs the House Judiciary Committee and is among a growing chorus of voices hoping to stop the execution. "I think there's a very real possibility that Ms. Lucio is innocent."

The Republican lawmaker from Collin County agrees with those who say the 53-year-old wasn't given a fair trial.

"Melissa Lucio's case is maybe the most troubling case that I've ever seen. The system failed her at every turn," said Leach.

Lucio's arrest and trial were documented in the recent film The State of Texas vs Melissa.

The mother of 14 children was convicted of murder after her 2-year-old daughter was found to have died of blunt trauma injuries in 2007.

But Lucio insists her daughter, who had a disability, fell down the stairs outside of the family's home in South Texas.

Authorities interrogated the mother, who had no documented history of violence, for more than 7 hours before she told them, "I guess I did it, I'm responsible."

Sabrina Van Tassel, the director of The State of Texas vs Melissa, said, "For her, she wasn't guilty, so she decided to answer the questions without knowing what the outcome would be. She basically gave up - that's what she told me."

The documentary also detailed how the chief prosecutor would later be sentenced to 14 years in prison for accepting bribes related to his work.

Lucio's children have been traveling the state, raising awareness and hoping to keep their mom from becoming the first woman since 2014 to be executed in Texas.

"She is terrorized right now - she is counting the days," said Van Tassel. "I am prepared for the worst, but I am hopeful that they will see that this is a really egregious miscarriage of justice."

Representative Leach will be part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers announcing support for a clemency petition tomorrow at the Capitol.

It will be up to the Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Abbott to make the final decision, which will likely come next week.