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Was 2005 murder conviction based on junk science?
Carmen Mejia was charged with murder in 2005 after a severely burned 10-month-old baby died. Mejia gave social workers and investigators different stories about what happened. Since the trial, a child who was in the home at the time of the incident said they were the one who turned on the faucet when the baby was in the bathtub. Now, Mejia is seeking a new trial.
AUSTIN - An Austin woman who has been behind bars for more than 20 years is fighting to be let out.
Carmen Mejia was sentenced to life in prison in 2005 for the death of a 10-month-old baby.
In July 2003, Mejia brought a severely burned 10-month-old baby to a hospital emergency room, and he ultimately died.
Mejia told social workers and investigators different stories about what had happened.
First, she told investigators the baby pulled a pot of boiling water off the stove onto himself. Then she said she found him in the bathroom. She claimed she found him in the bathroom and must have fallen into the tub. Ultimately, she blamed her daughter for burning the baby.
It was alleged that in order to cover up her actions, Mejia took her time getting him to the hospital and never called for an ambulance. Multiple medical professionals testified that the baby must have been held under scalding water and if the baby was brought to the hospital sooner, he may have survived.
Mejia was convicted of murder, injury to a child with serious bodily injury and injury to a child by omission and sentenced to three concurrent terms of life in prison.
Art Guerrero
Art Guerrero was the bailiff in the courtroom during Mejia's trial.
"I did a lot of trials of DWIs, rapes, murders, assaults, and this is the one that stood out, this is the one that somehow I felt like something was wrong," Guerrero told FOX 7.
Guerrero said he felt like Mejia was telling the truth after she was confronted by the father of the child.
"When he had the opportunity to go face-to-face in court, [he asked] why did you do this to my son, in Spanish. The lady picked up her head and looked at the man eye to eye and said, I did not do this," Guerrero recalled.
Once Guerrero retired, he contacted the Innocence Project.
Since the trial, a child who was at the home at the time, testified she turned on the faucet when the baby was in the bathtub and when she did that, Mejia was not in the bathroom with the baby.
An expert in scalding injuries testified the water heater didn't have temperature protection, so the water in the house was able to reach a dangerously high temperature.
A burn surgeon testified the type of injury the baby had could be purposeful or accidental.
The case is up to the visiting judge. The case will then be sent to the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals.
They may deny Mejia a new trial, grant her a new one, find her innocent or send the case back to district court.
Mejia will stay in custody until a final decision is made.