The Autism Society of America and the Autism Society of Texas are working with the Innocence Project because of the risk that an innocent, Autistic man will be executed for a crime that never happened. 

Robert Roberson is an innocent father with Autism who has spent over 20 years on death row in Texas for a crime that never occurred. Mr. Roberson was granted custody in November 2001 of his chronically ill two-year-old daughter Nikki. In 2002, Mr. Roberson brought Nikki to the hospital following a series of health complications, including a chronic illness, a high fever, and a minor fall from a bed on January 31, 2002. Under her physician's direction, in the days before her collapse Nikki had been given medication later discovered to potentially suppress breathing in young children. Tragically, Nikki passed away. The overwhelming medical and scientific evidence now shows that Nikki died of accidental and natural causes, not abuse.

A lack of awareness and understanding about Mr. Roberson’s developmental disability seems to have been unwittingly held against him and greatly contributed to his wrongful conviction and death sentence. 

Mr. Roberson had undiagnosed Autism spectrum disorder. He was a special education student when he dropped out of school after the ninth grade. Hospital staff and police investigators considered Mr. Roberson’s demeanor and expressions of grief odd and lacking emotion. Mr. Roberson was prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced to death in Anderson County in 2003.

Today, the lead detective who testified against Mr. Roberson now believes he and others involved in the prosecution, got it wrong. Mr. Roberson’s innocence case is attracting growing and widespread support from eminent scientists, doctors, faith leaders, innocence groups, former federal judges, and best-selling novelist John Grisham. The execution date was scheduled for October 17, 2024. After the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles upheld his execution, a group of 87 bipartisan Texas lawmakers stepped in. The Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence held an extraordinary hearing on the case and issued a subpoena as a final attempt to halt his execution. The Texas Supreme Court upheld the subpoena and Robert will report before the committee next week. 

Next steps are unknown so we must continue to educate the Governor on this case. Please use this Action Alert to message Governor Abbott, urging him to grant clemency to Robert Roberson.