Héloïse Goy, edited by Solène Leroux 12:14 p.m., April 05, 2022

The documentary "The State of Texas against Melissa" is broadcast on Tuesday April 5 on Canal+.

Accused of having killed her two-year-old daughter, this poor and drug-addicted mother was sentenced to death in Texas.

His execution date was set for April 17.

The director of the film hopes that her work, proving her innocence, will save her. 

The documentary arrives

The State of Texas against Melissa

arrives on Canal +.

The opportunity to take news of this case which has evolved since the filming.

Let's remember the facts: Melissa Lucio was the first Hispanic woman to be sentenced to death in Texas in 2007. She is accused of beating one of her fourteen children to death.

But Melissa Lucio has claimed her innocence from the start, no witness witnessed the facts and she assures us that her confessions were extracted.

For fifteen years now, appeal procedures have been carried out.

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 The director of this film, Sabrina Van Tassel is convinced of his innocence.

When it was released in cinemas, this documentary had toured the world, it was seen by millions of people. 

"She's scared to death"

“Unfortunately, Melissa had an execution date set for April 27 and we found out about that in January. So the fight continued and we tried to do a media campaign in the United States. media in Texas for more than two weeks", explains the director at the microphone of Europe 1. "Innocence Project, which is one of the largest organizations of lawyers, also took up her case. A large majority of Congress in Texas strongly opposes the execution of Melissa Lucio," she said.

Sabrina Van Tassel confides that she "never could have imagined that her film would have such an impact and play to such an extent in the review of Mélissa's trial".

The director was in the United States a few weeks ago to visit Melissa Lucio and her family.

She gives news of the condemned woman at the microphone of Europe 1. "We spent four hours together. Mélissa is someone who is quite positive despite everything. She is convinced that everything will be fine and that everything we created is going to save her. Of course, it's a facade. She's scared to death. She wants me to be one of her five witnesses if she's executed. I said yes because I promised her that I would stay with her. her all the way." 

The State of Texas against Melissa

is broadcast Tuesday evening on Canal+.