RE: The three Melissa Lucio shows, Town Square, a Houston Public Media production, NPR, with Ernie Manouse, as Host
From: Dudley Sharp, independent researcher, death penalty expert, former opponent, 832-439-2113, CV at bottom
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added April 6, 2024
Favorable evidence was withheld from Melissa Lucio during death penalty trial By Mark Reagan, myRGV, April 5, 2024
added April 16, 2024
"In a rare joint statement, the district attorney and the defense agreed that prosecutors withheld evidence that could point to a Rio Grande Valley woman’s innocence in the death of her toddler."
State district judge recommends overturning Melissa Lucio’s death sentence, BY WILLIAM MELHADO, Texas Tribune, APRIL 15, 2024
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Added April 16, 2024: Withholding exculpatory evidence (above) is as bad as it gets. There are two possible outcomes: The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals will (1) overturn the conviction, finding that such evidence would have changed the outcome of the case, ordering the prosecutors to retry or release her; (2) not overturn the case, ruling that the exculpatory evidence would not have changed the outcome of the case. We'll have to wait and see.
All very important but does not excuse Manouse's/NPR's horrendous . . .
Media Standards
Journalists might find that both sides of any public policy debate should be presented to the public, just as most of us should look at both sides of many issues, prior to reaching a conclusion.
Apparently, NPR's Ernie Manouse did not do that. Let's look at how irresponsible they are . . . or how intentional or both.
Maybe Not?
Much of the following was found within an appellate decision in the case, which I found within 10 seconds of searching (FN). Possibly, NPR might, even, consider doing the same. Or, likely . . . maybe not.
The standard would be for NPR and Manouse to keep all of this from their readers, as has been the case, through April 22, 2024, nearly two years.
1) Melissa Lucio (ML), truly, confessed:
a) that ML, repeatedly, grabbed, twisted and squeezed Mariah's arm, routinely, finally, breaking it, as we should all know, as that condition existed
b) that ML, repeatedly, pulled Mariah's hair and pulled it out by its roots, as we should all know, as that condition existed.
c) that ML repeatedly, got mad and spanked and beat Mariah, from head to toe, day after day, creating 110 bruises, as we should all know, as that condition existed.
In addition:
d) ML stated that she was not close to Mariah because CPS removed Mariah from her home three weeks after she was born, consistent with the observation that ML was distant and not overly distressed and not even within arm's reach of the child much less trying to hold her, or trying to do anything to hold her, the day of Mariah's death, as would be common for an abusive parent, not out of character, as with a-c.
e) ML stated that she pinched Mariah's vagina. Certainly, not out of character (a-d), and
f) Mariah had bruised kidneys, a bruised spinal cord and bruised lungs & had cocaine in her system, at the time of her death. No surprise to anyone, knowing what we know (a-e). Correct?
g) five hours of interrogation is not, remotely extreme or "torture", an absurd description, given the life of ML, a long time drug addict, abusive men, and 12 children, with child protective services taking all ML's children away, twice or given any capital murder suspect, under any other conditions. The real issue is method, not time, as detailed. Ernie, think? Well, no.
h) ML's own medical witness stated that Mariah could have died by either a beating or a fall. The defense was maybe yes, maybe no. The prosecution was definitive. ML murdered Mariah.
i) given all that, and much more, it is, hardly, surprising that her jury, unanimously, found her guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt, of capital murder.
Mariah's tortured life ended at age two. Overwhelmingly, the three shows presented ML as the victim, a common anti-death penalty vision of murderers.
Ernie did not have any of that in his three day series. Zero. That is how bad it was and NPR is.
I have zero objection to ML's stay of execution and a review of the issues. It is SOP in death penalty cases, which have super due process.
j) Ernie, host of the HPM radio show, Town Square, became another ML defense counsel, stating that Mariah died because of a fall down the stairs. How does he know that? He doesn't, of course.
k) Filmmaker Sabrina Van Tassel's willful ignorance was presented. She stated that abusive parents, with multiple children, do not just abuse one child, She, simply, made it up. In fact, it is not, at all, uncommon for a parent to pick out one child for abuse There is an infamous case, in Houston, right now, that shows that.
Ernie? Fact checking and vetting? A responsibility of your profession and to your audience? Nope, not anymore.
Ernie had no clue and (or) didn't correct Van Tassel , showing how common it is for many journalists to, simply, accept falsehoods and pass them along to the public, showing how common and easy it is to fool the public, when there is no watchdog media, but, only, lapdogs, as we had here.
This is why and how we can have so many fraudulent "innocent" and "exonerated" claims (see para 2 and fn 1). Instead of uncovering them, the media pushes the falsehoods forward, as detailed (1) and which has all the markers, herein, with none, ever, questioned by Ernie.
There is no doubt.
Ernie stated that there was no evidence of child abuse, with Mariah. Truly foul.
Why, Ernie? Answer: Willful media compliance to the anti-death penalty narrative, a well known and basic journalistic response to such public frauds (1), unless Ernie and HPM have some other explanation. Well?
Will HPM or Ernie, now, research? Likely not. They will, likely, just consult with ML counsel or other anti-death penalty advocates and dismiss my review.
Standard.
2) The 187 exonerated from death row.
Complete utter fraud, as is well known, if one has fact checked, in the past twenty years (1). There is a 71-83% fraud/error rate in death row exoneration claims, as is well known and detailed (1). The Death Penalty (Dis) Information Center (DPIC) has, simply, redefined both "innocent" and "exonerated", as if they had redefined lie as truth, as they have admitted, freely, and it is not in dispute (1). The Innocence Project and the National Registry of Exonerations (NRE) have adopted much of those standards (1).
It is not as if the media does not care. Many in the media care, very much, to the point that they refuse to fact check/vet any anti-death penalty claims.
All, somehow, missing, from Ernie's show. Now, expected.
3) False Confessions
Falsely claiming false confessions is an anti-death penalty staple, as is well known (1).
That does not mean that false confessions are not a problem. They are. Reviewing confessions, pre-trial, in trial and within appeals is a common, expected and necessary practice. We, all, want it to be.
All left out of Ernie's three shows, as expected.
4) Gender/Ethnicity Bias and 5) Future Dangerousness
By Texas case law, future danger can be proven by the crimes, themselves, as is easy with ML's child abuse.
The race/ethnicity/gender of a defendant or convicted party cannot be used to imply or prove future danger. Future danger is based upon the history of the defendant/convicted party, as is well known.
It is absurd that folks are saying that gender and ethnic bias could be a reason for ML's death penalty. In 50 years, she is the first Hispanic women to be sent to death row, in Texas, which has zero history of such bias.
There is no gender nor ethnic bias, as detailed (2). It's just anti-death penalty nonsense, again.
NPR? Ok with that?
Our inherent, constant, prevailing and rational bias is against men, when dealing with violent crimes, as such reflects known reality: About 90% of violent crimes are committed by men, as reflected in the prison population. Hispanic women make up a tiny percentage of incarcerated violent prisoners. It appears, from my experience, that white violent females get, by far, the most media coverage, in Texas. Ernie, what's your take?
Ngozi Ndulue, DPIC, presented the standard anti-death penalty fraud of the McCleskey vs Kemp case (See McClesky, within Racism, fn 2). It is impossible to say if Ngozi did that intentionally or if she is just, astoundingly, willfully ignorant.
Ask her, after you fact check. Well, neither of those will happen.
All left out of Ernie's three shows. Surprise? No.
5) Jurors Changing Their Minds
13-14 years years after the trial, when jurors hear, only, one side of the story, provided by defense/appellate counsel, for the inmate, is anyone surprised that jurors question their guilty findings, just as they would, after hearing the three segments of a defense of Melissa Lucio, on Town Square? Of course not.
There is a reason that our court system has two opposing parties, prosecution and defense, with a neutral arbiter, the judge and neutral fact finders, judge or jury and why our journalists should rely upon, somewhat, similar ethical standards, within their profession.
Ernie did not mention any of that. NPR?
6) Is ML actually guilty or actually innocent?
I have no idea, because I have not researched the case, nearly, enough.
My guess is that no one at HPM will read all of this. Standard. NPR?
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600+ pro death penalty quotes from murder victim's families &
3300+ from some of the greatest thinkers in history
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FN
Do your own trial transcript and appellate review.
I have presented all of this, below, to HPM, for years.
1) The Death Row "Exonerated"/"Innocent" Frauds
71-83% Error Rate in Death Row "Innocent" Claims, Well Known Since 2000
2) RACE & THE DEATH PENALTY: A REBUTTAL TO THE RACISM CLAIMS
Is There Class Disparity with Executions?
EXTRA I have been a guest, along with Sister Prejean, with HPM
Sister Helen Prejean: Does Truth Matter?
bcc: NY Times, Washington Post, Washington Times, Washington Examiner, Wall Street Journal, Baltimore Sun, POLITICO, Chicago Sun-Times, AP, NEWSWEEK, The Marshall Project, The Texas Tribune, The New Republic, Texas Monthly, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Texas Tribune, Austin-American Statesman, San Antonio Express News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Lufkin Daily News, WFAA, Houston Public Media, KHOU CBS TV (Houston), KPRC NBC TV (Houston), Texas Public Radio, Catholic News Agency (CNA), Texas Standard, KERA, KUT, KSTX, KUHF, TV 8, Spectrum News (Austin), La Crosse Tribune (Wisconsin), [[ News programs/reporters/producers: ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, MSNBC ]], in US and Intl., and many others
UK: The Times & Sunday Times (UK), SKY News, Belfast Telegraph, Irish Times, The Scotsman, Irish Examiner, Byline Times, An Garda Siochana, Connacht Tribune, LADBIBLE, The Journal, Student Independent News, Galway Bay FM, FLIR FM, ThisIsGalway.ie, Galway Town Hall Theatre, Galway Advertiser, The Cast of The Exonerated & Galway Actors Workshop, and many more
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Additional research,w/sources, w/fact checking/vetting & critical thinking, as required of everyone.
1) The Death Penalty: Justice & Saving More Innocents
and
Students, Academics & Journalists: Death Penalty Research
(7 pro-death penalty experts are included)
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Partial CV
