Plano lawmaker seeks clemency for death row inmate

• She could become the first Latina put to death in Texas.

Details: Lucio's attorneys say she is a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and domestic violence and that her confession was coerced by police after, what her lawyers say was, the girl’s accidental death from falling down a flight of stairs, reports Axios' Astrid Galván.

• The bipartisan group of lawmakers is asking for Lucio’s execution to be delayed for three months or for her sentence to be changed to life in prison.

The big picture: New death sentences have steadily declined during the past decade in Texas, and fewer people were put to death in 2021 and 2020 than any year since 1996.

• District attorneys have sought the sentence less frequently due to ideology or the cost of prosecuting capital punishment cases.
• Collin, Dallas and Tarrant counties have sent four people to death row since 2016.

Yes, but: More people than not support the death penalty, according to a 2021 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center.

• 78% of the respondents said there is a risk that an innocent person will be put to death and only 36% said there are "adequate safeguards" to keep an innocent person from being executed.

What they're saying: By ensuring an innocent person is not executed "we are strengthening our criminal justice system," Leach, a Republican, said at a news conference last week.

• "Please don’t bury your head in the sand on this. Speak out for life," Leach said to faith leaders. "The life of a fellow Texan who very likely could be innocent is hanging in the balance."