After Robert Roberson’s execution was delayed in October 2025, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals cited Texas’ junk science law as the reason behind their decision to put off the convicted felon’s death. In light of the ruling, Life & Style breaks down what exactly the junk science law is.
What Is Texas’ Junk Science Law?
In 2013, Texas became the first state in the United States to provide a specific legal avenue that allows prisoners to “challenge potential wrongful convictions by showing that changes in the field of forensic science either seriously undermined the integrity of the criminal trials resulting in their convictions or else exonerated the prisoner completely,” according to the State Bar of Texas website.
In other words, the law allows a person convicted of a crime to seek relief if the evidence previously used against them is no longer viewed as credible.
Why Was Robert Roberson Granted a Stay of Execution?
Roberson was found guilty in the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki, after she died from shaken baby syndrome. He has long maintained his innocence and insisted his daughter died from health issues that stemmed from acute viral pneumonia and inappropriate medication prescribed by doctors, according to CBS News.
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“Shaken baby syndrome is a serious brain injury that results from forcefully shaking an infant or a toddler,” according to The Mayo Clinic. “It also is known as abusive head trauma, shaken impact syndrome, inflicted head injury or whiplash shaken infant syndrome.”
He was originally scheduled to be executed on October 16, 2025, though the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals decided on October 9, 2025, to put off his execution after his legal team argued that there have been new understandings about Nikki’s symptoms before her death, according to CNN. Additionally, the legal team argued they had new evidence that proved his innocence.
The appeals court announced the new order when it was argued that Roberson should get relief after the appeals court granted a new trial to a man named Andrew Roark in 2024, according to CNN. Roark was convicted of injury to a child after allegedly contributing to shaken baby syndrome. However, the court ultimately found scientific evidence had evolved since his case first went on trial, alluding that it was “more likely than not” that the man would not have been convicted if the case was tried in more recent years.
“We remand the claim to the trial court for resolution,” the court said of the order on October 9, per CNN.
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Robert Roberson Said He Will Accept His Execution If the Court Order the Death Penalty
Before his execution was delayed, Roberson told CNN on October 8, 2025, that he was at peace with whatever the court decided to do about his execution.
“I’m not scared to die, but I’m not ready to die yet, you know,” he told the outlet. “No matter what happens, I’m going home to a free world. I’m going home to be with the Lord.”
