Texas court allows execution in shaken baby syndrome case

The state could be the first to carry out the death penalty for someone convicted due to the diagnosis, despite its controversial applicability

Close-up of a small bronze statuette of Lady Justice before a flag of Texas.
The lawyers of death row inmate Robert Roberson argue that he was convicted on 'junk science'
(Image credit: Gwengoat / Getty Images)

Texas is set to become the first state in the country to execute someone convicted for causing a brain injury commonly known as "shaken baby syndrome." Its highest criminal court declined to stop the Oct. 17 execution of a man named Robert Roberson, even after his team argued that the cause of his victim's death, now known as abusive head trauma (AHT), was based on since-debunked pseudoscience. And while Texas passed a first-of-its-kind "junk science law" a decade ago for situations like this, Roberson will not benefit from it.

Questioning the validity of shaken baby syndrome

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Theara Coleman, The Week US

Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.