Please Call Governor Abbott & Tell Him to Save Robert Roberson

Dear Friends,

We need your help. Texas courts have denied Robert Roberson’s pleas for his life despite scientifically-backed evidence of his innocence. Today, as a bipartisan group of legislators held an emergency meeting to discuss Robert’s case, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Robert’s plea for clemency. Robert’s life is now in Governor Greg Abbott’s hands. Unless the Governor intervenes, Robert will be executed tomorrow for a crime that never occurred. 

Here are two things you can do right now to help save Robert:

• Call Texas Governor Greg Abbott at 361-264-9653 and tell him to halt Robert Roberson’s execution.
• Share Robert’s story on social media using this toolkit.

As John Grisham wrote in yesterday’s Washington Post, evidence of Robert’s innocence “is assembled and available to the Texas authorities, but no one with the power to stop Roberson’s execution is paying attention. The courts slammed all the doors on the basis of technicalities, and even politicians’ pleas have been ignored.“

Robert is an innocent father with autism who has spent over 20 years on death row in Texas for a crime that never occurred. Robert was committed to being a present father to his chronically ill two-year-old daughter Nikki. Tragically, Nikki passed away from prior medical conditions after a short fall from bed, and Robert was wrongfully convicted of her death.

As John Grisham asked, “Are we more willing to accept a potentially innocent man’s execution than to revisit a case?”

The answer should be no. If Robert is executed on Thursday, the legal system will have failed Robert—and all of us.

We know the legal system is flawed and makes mistakes. But the failure of the legal system to correct itself—to overturn a conviction that is roundly shown to be wrongful—is a horrifying spectacle. Tell Governor Abbott that he can’t let this happen. For more on Robert’s case and how you can help, visit the Innocence Project’s website.

With gratitude,