New Execution Date Set for Texas Man in Controversial Shaken Baby Syndrome Case
HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas judge has set a new execution date for Robert Roberson, a man convicted in a shaken baby syndrome case that continues to spark legal and scientific debate. If carried out, Roberson could become the first person in the United States to be executed for a murder conviction tied solely to the disputed diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.
State District Judge Austin Reeve Jackson scheduled the execution for October 16, 2025, during a court hearing on Wednesday in Palestine, Texas. Roberson, now 57, was transported from death row to attend the session. Wearing a black-and-white prison uniform and shackled, he remained silent throughout the proceeding.
As he was being led from the courtroom, someone in the gallery shouted, “We love you, Robert.” Roberson turned and replied, “I love you,” before being escorted out.
The move to set a new date comes more than a year after Roberson received a last-minute reprieve, temporarily halting his scheduled execution in 2022. At that time, new questions had been raised regarding the medical evidence used to convict him.
Roberson was sentenced to death in 2003 for the death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, in 2002. Prosecutors argued the toddler died from injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome—a diagnosis that has since come under scrutiny from medical experts and legal advocates.
Roberson’s attorneys maintain that his daughter died of complications related to pneumonia, not abuse. They have filed multiple appeals challenging the original forensic findings, which they argue are outdated and scientifically flawed.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Roberson’s legal team objected to the setting of an execution date, citing an ongoing appeal still pending before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. That appeal, submitted five months ago, includes what his lawyers describe as “powerful new evidence” of his innocence.
“This case continues to raise serious questions about the reliability of the medical evidence used to convict Mr. Roberson,” said one of his attorneys following the hearing. “Setting an execution date before the court has ruled on the latest appeal puts justice at risk.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office, which requested that the court set the date, argues that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has had ample time to review the latest appeal. Judge Jackson, while acknowledging the pending case, said that the justice system “requires finality” and that the process must move forward.
Roberson’s case has drawn attention from a growing number of advocates, including medical professionals, legal scholars, and even some bipartisan lawmakers. Many point to the controversial history of shaken baby syndrome diagnoses, which were widely accepted in the 1990s and early 2000s but have since faced growing skepticism.
Several former detectives, one of Roberson’s jurors, and bestselling author John Grisham have publicly supported a review of his case, warning that the justice system may have sentenced an innocent man to die based on flawed science.
Despite the looming execution date, Roberson’s attorneys plan to seek a stay and continue their legal battle in the hope that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals will intervene before October 16.
With 91 days remaining, the court is under mounting pressure to deliver a decision that could determine whether Roberson’s execution proceeds or is halted once again.
For now, Robert Roberson remains on death row, awaiting both the outcome of his final appeal and the full weight of the Texas justice system.
