Texas was about to execute Robert Roberson. Then a last-ditch tactic bought him more time

Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Robert Roberson, who had been set to be the first person in the U.S. to be put to death for a murder conviction tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome, had his execution delayed after a dramatic few hours of legal wrangling among three different Texas courts. A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers succeeded in getting the Texas Supreme Court to delay his execution through the unique maneuver of issuing a subpoena for Roberson to testify before them next week. But after Roberson’s testimony, it’s unclear what will happen in his case. A new execution date could be set anytime after that but his lawyers say they will continue working to get him a new trial.