The European Council of Autistic People joins the Autistic Self Advocacy Network in condemning the planned execution of Robert Roberson, an autistic man convicted of murder in 2003 on the basis of claims that his daughter died of “shaken baby syndrome”. Evidence has since then come up which strongly suggests that Mr Roberson’s daughter died of pneumonia and sepsis.
It has been suggested that Roberson’s atypical emotional expression in a crisis situation caused misinterpretations. Hospital staff, who were unaware of him being autistic, perceived him as lacking emotion, which led to suspicion.
We urge Governor Abbott to consider the evidence and arguments presented by the Innocence Project and ASAN, and to halt the execution.
