Melissa Lucio needs a village right now.

The state that cares so much about motherhood that it puts bounties on women getting abortions, is now willing to wrongly execute one.

• Action #1: Sign the petition here. (https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/melissa-lucio-innocent-woman-on-death-row-in-texas-2)
• Action #2: Write some letters! Templates and contact information included below.

Action #1: Sign the petition here.

(https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/melissa-lucio-innocent-woman-on-death-row-in-texas-2)

Action #2: Write some letters! Templates and contact information included.

Her official clemency petition was submitted on March 22, 2022. We are asking people to write letters of support for Melissa’s clemency application to be mailed so that the materials are received prior to April 18th, the deadline for public commentary.

Please pass this information around to your networks, and ask that people please write a hand-written (or typed and signed) letter on behalf of Melissa. Additionally, please consider hosting a letter-writing night with your friends or organization members to ask the members of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to grant her clemency. Thank you for your help and support. I am attaching a sample letter to guide your letter writing process.

UPDATE: Please fill out this quick “tracker” form so the organizers know which offices are getting letters. The organizers are using this information to update their toolkit.

Key Information for Letter writing:

1. All letters should be handwritten or typed and signed. The following is listed below:

1. A template for the letter.
2. A list of key facts to potentially mention in the letter.
3. Mailing addresses for all of the BPP offices and the Central office in Austin.

2. Please have TWO copies of the letter. One should be sent to one of the seven BPP offices & the other should be sent to the central office in Austin.

3. Once both letters have been completed please fill out the google doc so we can keep track of how many letters have been mailed off. 
4. If you aren’t a Resident of Texas that’s fine, just go ahead and write something along the lines of “I am a concerned citizen” instead.

Below are example templates but please write them out and put them in your own words instead of copying word for word. The goal is to make sure the Board knows everyday folks are paying attention to this and wanting to bring Melissa home.

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Letter Templates

THEME- IT WAS AN ACCIDENT

    Dear Board Member (insert board member last name), 

        Today, I am asking you to grant clemency for Melissa Lucio #00999537. My name is [your name here] and I am a resident of Texas [optional: provide your city, job title, organization or academic affiliations, etc] Melissa’s daughter Mariah lived with a mild physical disability which affected her stability in walking. In 2007, Mariah fell down the stairs and suffered from a head injury that proved fatal two days later. When she was arrested, Melissa had no record of violence. Protective service records and her children testify to the fact that she was a loving and caring mother. After five hours of interrogation, Melissa was coerced by the police into weakly saying “I guess I did it,” which was twisted into a confession despite no physical evidence. Furthermore, the jury did not hear Melissa’s defense or explanation. Melissa is innocent, but she sits on death row, despite eyewitness and forensic evidence that her daughter passed away from head injuries from an accidental fall. She is currently located at the Mountainview unit, but she is going to be transferred to Huntsville in the upcoming weeks for her April 27th execution date. As a survivor of sexual and domestic abuse, Melissa should be healing outside the confines of prison with her family who tirelessly advocates for her release. For all these reasons, I urge you to watch the documentary and grant Melissa Lucio clemency. Thanks for your time and attention to the matter. 

Sincerely, 

Your Name

[Optional: Contact Information]

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THEME- PURPOSE FOR CLEMENCY

Please send letters to:

Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
Clemency Section
8610 Shoal Creek Boulevard 
Austin, TX 78757

Dear Board Member (insert board member last name), 

        I am writing to recommend that the governor grant clemency to Melissa Lucio #00999537, who is scheduled to be executed on April 27, 2022. My name is [your name here] and I am a resident of Texas [optional: provide your city, job title, organization or academic affiliations, etc].  

An execution is state-sponsored homicide that is done in the name of the people. I cannot let this injustice be done in my name. The Supreme Court has said that clemency is the “failsafe” of justice to be used to remedy errors that the justice system has caused but can’t fix. That is the situation here. A panel of the Fifth Circuit, which has a well-earned reputation for being tough on crime, overturned Melissa’s conviction because it was so obviously unfair. The full court reinstated her death sentence based on an interpretation of the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, a federal statute that all but blocks access to federal court by people with state convictions.  No one doubted that the conviction itself was flawed. Clemency is a constitutional right and responsibility that was made for this situation. You must stop Melissa’s execution, finally ending this cycle of injustice.

Sincerely, 

Your Name

[Optional: Contact Information]

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THEME- MELISSA IS INNOCENT

Dear Board Member (insert board member last name), 

        I am writing to recommend that the governor grant clemency to Melissa Lucio #00999537, who is scheduled to be executed on April 27, 2022. My name is [your name here] and I am a resident of Texas [optional: provide your job title, organization or academic affiliations, etc].  

Melissa Lucio’s conviction for the death of her daughter is tainted. A corrupt prosecutor, who is currently in prison for accepting bribes, needed a win in an election year. He put on a case based on the “confession,” extracted after a five-hour interrogation, of a pregnant woman who had just seen her two-year-old daughter die. There are reams of fact sheets outlining the coercion, incompetent representation, and legal errors that characterize this case. The Innocence Project, which is very selective about the cases it takes, has championed Melissa’s cause. In contrast, your job is easy: keep Melissa alive until the truth is revealed. Please watch the documentary on Melissa’s story so that you have a better grasp of the facts of the case and recommend that the governor grant her clemency. By recommending clemency to Governor Abbott, you will uphold the rule of law and fundamental fairness, thereby protecting the values upon which this state was founded.

Sincerely, 

Your Name

[Optional: Contact Information]

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THEME- THIS IS A MOTHERS WORST NIGHTMARE

Dear Board Member (insert board member last name), 

        I am writing to recommend that the governor grant clemency to Melissa Lucio #00999537, who is scheduled to be executed on April 27, 2022. My name is [your name here] and I am a resident of Texas [optional: provide your job title, organization or academic affiliations, etc].  

I am writing to you as a parent to urge that you stop Melissa Lucio’s execution. The loss of a child is every parent’s worst nightmare. I cannot imagine what Melissa went through finding herself in a police interrogation room after watching her two-year-old daughter die. And yet for five hours she maintained her innocence; in the end, all the police could only coerce her into saying “I guess I did it.” Yet in the hands of a corrupt prosecutor, currently incarcerated in a federal prison, and incompetent defense counsel, those five words were twisted into a death sentence. It is now up to you to stop the madness by strongly recommending to Governor Abbott that he spare Melissa’s life so that those working to prove her innocence can complete their work. Melissa’s family, who have already lost a sister and been divided up among relatives, support their mother. Now those who have suffered the most face another trauma and tragedy: the execution of their mother. Melissa’s family wants her to live; the state has no interest in causing a senseless killing. I am urging you to please watch the documentary detailing her case and grant her clemency. 

Sincerely, 

Your Name

[Optional: Contact Information]

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THEME- MELISSA IS RELIGIOUS

I am writing to recommend that the governor grant clemency to Melissa Lucio #00999537, who is scheduled to be executed on April 27, 2022. My name is [your name here] and I am a resident of Texas [optional: provide your job title, organization or academic affiliations, etc].  

I urge you to watch the documentary detailing Melissa’s case and that you recommend that the governor stop her execution. Melissa is a devout Roman Catholic who has maintained her faith despite the unspeakable tragedies in her life. She was abused as a child and married at age 16 to escape an intolerable home life, only to discover that her husband also abused her. Nevertheless she bore 14 children and has not allowed the prison walls to keep her from being a loving mother. Executing this woman would go against the teaching of Jesus, who stated clearly that “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” (Matthew 12:7). As a [insert religion], I believe that the death penalty, like abortion and euthanasia, is a violation of the right to life and an unauthorized usurpation by human beings of God’s sole lordship over life and death. Pope Francis recently proclaimed that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible.” I ask you to respect the sanctity of life and advocate for Melissa to receive clemency.

Sincerely, 

Your Name

[Optional: Contact Information]

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Mailing Addresses

for Board of Pardons and Paroles

MAIL TO AT LEAST ONE OFFICE AND THE CENTRAL OFFICE

CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION [Total: 120 Letters Sent as of March 29, 9:30am CST]

Board of Pardons and Parole
Attn: Clemency Section
8610 Shoal Creek Blvd.
Austin, Texas 78757

AND

GATESVILLE BOARD OFFICE  [30 Letters Sent]
David G. Gutiérrez, Chair
545 State Hwy 36 Bypass N, Suite A
Gatesville, TX 76528

AUSTIN BOARD OFFICE  [46 Letters Sent]
Ed Robertson, Board Member
4616 W. Howard Lane, Suite 200
Austin, TX 78728

ANGLETON BOARD OFFICE  [9 Letter Sent]
1212 N. Velasco, Suite 201
Angleton, TX 77515
Vacant, Board Member

HUNTSVILLE BOARD OFFICE  [30 Letters Sent]
Carmella Jones, Board Member
1022 Veterans Memorial Parkway, Suite A
Huntsville, TX 77320

SAN ANTONIO BOARD OFFICE  [36 Letters Sent]
Linda Molina, Board Member
2902 N.E. Loop 410, Suite #206
San Antonio, TX 78218

AMARILLO BOARD OFFICE  [38 Letters Sent]
James LaFavers, Board Member
5809 S. Western, Suite 200
Amarillo, TX 79110

PALESTINE BOARD OFFICE  [20 Letters Sent]
Brian Long, Board Member
133 E. Reagan Street
Palestine, TX 75801