Texas
Robert Roberson: What happens next in Texas ‘shaken baby syndrome’ case
DALLAS – An execution date has been set for Texas death row inmate Robert Roberson. But the “shaken baby syndrome” case is far from over.
Robert Roberson Execution Set
What we know:
On Wednesday, Judge Austin Reeve-Jackson set Roberson’s new execution date – Oct. 16 at 6 p.m.
The judge stated that he understands an appeal for a new trial is pending, but there was no legal basis for him not to honor the state’s request to set a new execution date.
What’s next:
Roberson’s legal team now has 89 days to find a way to save his life.
The defense can move for a “stay” on Judge Reeve-Jackson’s ruling, meaning his order won’t be enforced since the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals is already considering the case.
If the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals grants the defense’s motion for a new trial, the execution date will be void.
Roberson’s defense team primarily wants that new trial, calling the evidence used to convict him “junk science.” They also claim to have new medical evidence to present.
What they’re saying:
But lead attorney Gretchen Sween said the whole process is much more difficult now that a judge has set an execution date.
“Access is very limited to lawyers when their clients are on death row as it is. You have to schedule phone calls. For instance, I tried to get a phone call so I could talk to my client after today. The soonest day they could give me was July 30. Well, by then I’ll already be there to see him, which is also something you have to arrange. So it doesn’t get easier. It gets harder. And all the other things he has to worry about preparing for this potentially,” said defense attorney Gretchen Sween.
Sween also said that with an execution date, Roberson must also go back to spending nearly all of his time chained up in solitary confinement.
“As I mentioned in the courtroom, he is now a part of this pilot program where he spends much of his days out of solitary confinement with other inmates, unshackled. And even before he was chosen as one of the first 12 to be part of this program, they allowed him to be unshackled in the chapel praying with lawmakers,” she said.
The other side:
All of that, of course, is of little concern to family members who believe Roberson is guilty of killing his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis.
Curtis’ older brother, who was 4 years old when she died, is counting down the days until Oct. 16.
“In my opinion, he did it 100%. I’ve been here since 2016 at the first evidentiary hearing. There’s nothing new,” Matthew Bowman said. “This was done by blunt force trauma. This man laid his hands on this infant baby. I’m done being respectful. It’s time for speaking up for Nikki.”
Robert Roberson Murder Conviction
The backstory:
Roberson, 58, was convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter in Palestine, Texas in 2002.
He took her to the emergency room with a high fever, where medical staff determined her condition was consistent with shaken baby syndrome.
Roberson’s attorneys have challenged that diagnosis, calling it “junk science.” They say Nikki died from natural causes, likely undiagnosed pneumonia.
If executed, Roberson would be the first person in the United States executed for a murder case tied to shaken baby syndrome.
Robert Roberson’s Delayed Execution
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Robert Roberson execution temporarily halted
In a late night ruling, the Texas Supreme Court issued a stay, temporarily preventing the execution of Robert Roberson. Texas House members issued a subpoena for Roberson to testify next week. Roberson would be the first person in the US executed for a murder conviction tied to the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.
The backstory:
A coalition of lawmakers and the lead detective on the case has argued the science supporting Roberson’s death sentence doesn’t hold up.
The Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence issued a subpoena on the day before Roberson’s scheduled execution on Oct. 17, 2024 for the death row inmate to testify at a hearing about his case. The Supreme Court paused the execution that night to review the committee’s request.
An opinion from the Texas Supreme Court in November said that the committee should be allowed to hear his testimony, as long as a subpoena does not block an inevitable execution.
Roberson did not appear at subsequent House committee meetings after the attorney general’s office opposed the efforts to bring him to the Capitol building.
The Office of the Attorney General told the State Supreme Court that doing so would present security and logistical concerns.
The Source: The information in this story comes from Wednesday’s court hearing, statements made by Robert Roberson’s attorney, and past news coverage.
Texas
Texas A&M Forward Transfer Seemingly on Visit to See Lady Vols Basketball | Rocky Top Insider

Lady Vols basketball is looking to add more pieces to its 2026-27 roster with high-level experience. After completing her junior season at Texas A&M, Fatmata Janneh has emerged as a Tennessee target for her final year of eligibility. According to her Instagram story on Sunday night, she is in Knoxville.
With the Aggies a year ago, the 6-foot-2 forward averaged 11.4 points per game on 43.3% shooting from the field. She also showed off an ability to hit from range, posting 1.1 makes per game on 33% shooting from three.
Perhaps Janneh’s biggest strength is her rebounding, though. She ripped down 9.7 boards per contest, good for the fifth-most in the SEC. This featured 2.6 rebounds on the offensive end per outing.
Janneh also averaged 1.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.4 blocks per game. She appeared in 27 games, starting in each.
More From RTI: How Watching The NCAA Tournament Drew Terrence Hill Jr. To Tennessee Basketball
Janneh started her career with a pair of seasons at St. Peter’s. As a sophomore, she averaged a double-double, posting 18.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. This made her a sought-after transfer in the portal before landing at Texas A&M as the nation’s leading defensive rebounder. As a freshman, she averaged 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds.
The forward is from London, England, attending Barking Abbey Sixth Form for her prep ball. She would be the second player from England to join the Tennessee roster if she committed. UT also added the commitment of incoming freshman and former Boston College signee Irene Oboavwoduo this offseason.
So far, Caldwell and the Lady Vols have landed five transfers in this portal cycle. This features Liberty guard Avery Mills, Northern Arizona guard Naomi White, Stanford forward Harper Peterson and Georgia forward Zhen Craft and guard Rylie Theuerkauf.
Tennessee will also roster a pair of incoming freshmen. Four-star recruit and top-50 prospect Gabby Minus is staying true to her signing despite the roster overhaul and assistant coaching changes, along with the addition of Oboavwoduo.
Texas
Texas needs at least $174 billion to avoid water crisis, state says
AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — Texas communities will need to spend $174 billion in the next 50 years to avert a severe water crisis, a new state analysis revealed Thursday. That’s more than double the $80 billion projected four years ago, when the Texas Water Development Board last passed a state water plan.
The three-member board presiding over the agency authorized the highly anticipated draft blueprint Thursday, the first administrative step toward adopting the water development board’s plans for the next 50 years. The plan, released every five years, encompasses the projects that 16 regional water planning groups in Texas said are the most urgent, water development board officials said.
The board’s latest estimates come as the state’s water supply faces numerous threats. Growing communities across Texas are scrambling to secure water, keep up with construction costs and cope with a yearslong drought. This week, Corpus Christi officials said the city may be just months away from declaring a water emergency. Meanwhile, other rural cities by the Coastal Bend are rapidly drilling wells to avoid a crisis. Residents in North Texas have also been bracing for groundwater shortages.
In an effort to restrain the crisis, lawmakers last year called an election in which voters approved a $20 billion boost for communities to use on water-related expenses. The water development board’s estimate shows that what lawmakers proposed on the ballot falls dramatically short of the needed cash, experts said.
“What this number tells me at the end of the day is if we don’t get serious about (funding water projects), there are going to be serious consequences for Texas,” said Perry Fowler, executive director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network. “Even with the billion-dollar-a-year plan kicking in, it’s not going to be enough to offset the costs of the projects that are going to have to be executed.”
The new estimate accounts for 3,000 projects, from regional infrastructure upgrades to smaller endeavors such as drilling new water wells. Texas’ water supplies are expected to drop by roughly 10% between 2030 and 2080, according to the water plan. In that same time frame, the maximum amount of water communities can draw is also expected to decline by 9%.
The 80-page plan notes approximately 6,700 recommended strategies that would add water to the state’s dwindling portfolio. The recommendations — which are not accounted for in the cost — include developing new supplies from aquifer storage and recovery, brackish groundwater, desalination and recycled water. It also calls for water conservation.
The report suggested that if Texas does not implement the plans and recommendations, the state is one severe drought away from an estimated $91 billion in economic damages in 2030.
The state’s plan attributes a variety of reasons for the bigger price tag, such as higher costs of construction due to inflation, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on supply chains, and a growing backlog of water supply projects.
“There’s a plan that can meet our needs,” said Matt Nelson, deputy executive administrator for the Office of Planning at the water development board, adding that they take their cues from the regional planning groups. “These are local projects that folks need to implement; they’re needed regardless of how they’re funded. It’s important to remember these are not top-down projects or state projects.”
Experts told The Texas Tribune that the board’s estimate is only a fraction of what Texas communities will need to ensure they have water in 50 years’ time, saying growth and development are outpacing the state’s ability to keep up.
“This is a bigger water plan in terms of volume strategies and capital costs compared to anything we’ve ever seen before,” said Jeremy Mazur, the director of infrastructure and natural resources policy at think tank Texas 2036.
Mazur suggested that the $174 billion only covers water supply projects and does not account for updating aging infrastructure, adding that the actual price could amount to a quarter of a trillion dollars.
“There’s a substantial magnitude with regard to the capital investment needed to both fix our aging and current systems and potentially develop the water infrastructure, water supply projects that we need.“
The report largely confirmed what many water experts have warned regarding threats to the state’s water supply, said Sarah Kirkle, director of policy at the Texas Water Association.
“Population growth, extreme weather, and economic development needs are all increasing demands on our infrastructure, and the state is going to need more water, sooner,” Kirkle said. “This is all while water projects are becoming more costly and complex because the easiest and cheapest local projects have already been developed.”
Fowler, with the infrastructure network, said he expects the Texas Legislature to take up the issue next year, when lawmakers meet for the 90th legislative session. He said the state should take a bigger role in ensuring that communities can afford their respective water projects.
“It’s going to have to be a top-down priority, there’s no way around it,” he said. “The challenges are so immense that it’s going to take all hands on deck.”
Texas residents have until the end of May to comment on the proposal. Water development board officials must adopt it by January 2027.
Alejandra Martinez contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at www.texastribune.org. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans – and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Texas
Co‑worker confesses to killing missing North Texas man and stealing his car, police say
A North Texas man reported missing earlier this week was found dead Friday, and police say a co‑worker has confessed to fatally shooting him and stealing his car.
The suspect, Gregory D. Lewis, 34, remains in custody and faces a forthcoming capital murder charge, according to the Fort Worth Police Department.
Lewis is accused of killing 31‑year‑old Thomas King, who had been last seen in his Taco Casa work uniform. King was reported missing on Tuesday after failing to return home Monday from the fast‑food restaurant in the 1100 block of Bridgewood Drive.
Car found at Arlington motel
Police said King’s car was found at the Quality Inn on I‑20 in Arlington, and surveillance video showed Lewis arriving in King’s vehicle shortly after King left work.
Detectives identified the man in the video and arrested him on unrelated charges.
Body discovered on Fort Worth’s East Side
King’s body was located on Friday in an open field on Fort Worth’s East Side, authorities said.
According to police, Lewis confessed to shooting the victim and stealing his car.
Medical examiner review pending
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.
CBS News Texas has reached out to Taco Casa for comment.
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