DALLAS — Despite serious questions about debunked science used to convict Robert Roberson of killing his 2-year-old daughter in 2002, the state intends to execute the 57-year-old.
Just hours before Roberson was set to be executed Thursday night, Judge Jessica Mangrum granted a temporary restraining order filed that sought to halt his execution.
Roberson would have been the 6th inmate put to death in Texas in 2024. The state last executed someone on October 1.
In 21 of the previous 25 years, Texas has put to death more people than any other state. Only seven other states have executed someone in 2024, though capital punishment is authorized in 27 states.
Texas has executed 591 people since 1976, when the state reinstated the death penalty after a legal fight. Soon after, the state adopted lethal injection as its preferred method for execution.
Today, Texas executes inmates using a lethal injection of Pentobarbital, a sedative sometimes used to control seizures. All executions occur in the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville.
For years, death row inmates were allowed a final meal of their choosing. The state ended the practice in 2011 after a condemned inmate did not eat any of the massive, expensive meals he ordered.
Today, prisoners scheduled for execution eat what other prisoners are given.
The state allows a group of select visitors to witness the execution. Victims' loved ones and inmates' loved ones watch from separate rooms, along with prison staff and no more than five reporters.
Two of the media slots are reserved for the Associated Press and the Huntsville Item. Michael Graczyk, an Associated Press reporter, has witnessed hundreds of executions at the Huntsville Unit.
A microphone hangs above the gurney where the inmates take the lethal injection, allowing them to broadcast their final statements to the witness rooms. Those statements are transcribed and posted online.
Some states prefer to begin the execution process at midnight, allowing inmates extra time to appeal their death. Texas elects to begin at 6 p.m., which is more convenient for the witnesses and minimizes overtime work for prison staff.
There are already two executions scheduled for 2025.