Melissa Lucio

Melissa Elizabeth Lucio is the first woman of Hispanic descent to be sentenced to death in Texas. She was convicted of capital murder after the death of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, who was found to have scattered bruising in various stages of healing, as well as injuries to her head and contusions of the kidneys, lungs and spinal cord. Prosecutors said that Mariah's injuries were the result of physical abuse, while Lucio's attorneys say that Mariah's death was caused by a fall down the stairs two days before her death.