The family of two-year-old Nikki Curtis is urging Texas lawmakers to remember the full extent of evidence against Robert Roberson, convicted of her 2002 murder.
State Representative Cody Harris has delivered a letter to the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence on behalf of the family of Curtis, expressing their concerns over recent efforts to advocate for the innocence of Roberson, who was convicted in 2002 of killing Curtis, who was his daughter.
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The letter, signed by Curtis’s brother, aunt, and grandfather, contends that recent committee hearings surrounding Roberson’s case have focused on arguments that exclude critical evidence presented during the original trial.
“Given the one-sided picture of Mr. Roberson that has been recently portrayed in the media, we feel obliged to speak up and defend the real victim in this case, whose life was taken by the hands of Robert Roberson,” the family stated.
The family has expressed frustration over the committee’s focus on the “shaken baby syndrome” theory as a possible reason for Roberson’s innocence.
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In their letter, they emphasize that this theory was already considered and dismissed during the initial trial, where it was determined that Curtis’s injuries, including blunt force trauma and spinal cord damage, could not be attributed to shaking alone.
They wrote, “The medical examiner, Dr. Jill Urban, and six supervising medical officers confirmed that Nikki died from blunt force head injuries, not from being shaken.”
The letter further details the injuries found on Curtis’s body, including extensive bruising, a handprint on her face, and lacerations, which were presented at trial. It also recounts Roberson’s reported history of abuse towards Curtis, alleging both physical and sexual abuse, which the family argues were central to the jury’s verdict.
The family expressed their willingness to consider new evidence that might have demonstrated Roberson’s innocence but shared their conviction that the original verdict was justified.
“The only thing we have ever wanted was to know what happened to Nikki and what caused her death,” the letter reads. “After hearing countless hours of testimony, we remain convinced that Mr. Roberson is guilty and directly responsible for Nikki’s death.”
The letter concludes with a plea to lawmakers and the public to remember the tragedy of Curtis’s death and to ensure that her story is not overlooked in the ongoing legal debate.
“Nikki’s death is the real tragedy in this case, and her loss has left a profound hole in all of our hearts. Ultimately, we pray that justice will be delivered for Nikki.”
Representative Harris has called for the committee to carefully weigh the Curtis family’s perspective as it considers further actions in Roberson’s case.
Attorneys for Robert Roberson issued this comment today:
“We feel compelled to acknowledge and respond briefly to the letter issued by some members of the Bowman family who have been told for 22 years that Robert Roberson committed a heinous crime against their family member. It is understandable that some family members’ grief about what happened and the story they have been told for over two decades would lead them to speak out publicly. To the best of our knowledge, the record does not show that these family members expressed concern about Robert Roberson caring for Nikki before her tragic death; indeed, Nikki’s maternal grandparents agreed that Robert should have custody of Nikki months before her death and asked him to care for her on the night before her collapse. Respectfully, these family members’ beliefs have been shown by modern science to be misguided and mistaken. Undisputed evidence now shows that Nikki died of a fatal, undiagnosed pneumonia and complications from dangerous doses of medication she was prescribed. Finally, as the letter from Robert’s brother, Thomas, demonstrates, Robert has support from members of Nikki’s family who do not believe that Robert ever harmed Nikki and who believe in what science and medicine has demonstrated; Nikki’s death was a tragedy but not a crime.
You can read the full letter below and we do want to let you know that it has descriptions and information that could be disturbing or triggering to some.