Dallas man exonerated in 2000 ‘shaken baby’ conviction, district attorney says
A 48-year old Dallas man has been exonerated for a conviction based on “shaken baby” science, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement Monday.
Andrew Wayne Roark was convicted of injury to a child in 2000 after finding his girlfriend’s 13-month-old child unconscious at home, according to the statement.
After the child was medically examined, doctors determined that the infant had been “violently shaken,” the statement reads.
Roark was released on bond in December 2012 after the district attorney’s office agreed to retry his case because of “the evolution of science and emerging case law,” the statement reads.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals cited “changes in science regarding the mechanism of the injury” as the most persuasive evidence presented at trial.
“There exists no evidence in which we could support a conviction and believe Mr. Roark is actually innocent,” Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot said.
Roark’s exoneration comes days after the Texas Supreme Court ordered a new execution date for 57-year-old Robert Roberson, who was convicted in a “shaken baby” case in 2002.
Roberson was set to be executed in October, around the same time that the Dallas County District Attorney’s office says the Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Roark’s conviction.
The new science set off a frantic battle to halt Roberson’s execution, with a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers stepping in and issuing a subpoena for his testimony at the eleventh hour.
“...It is evident that the high court also thoroughly examined all the evidence when reaching the conclusion that the advancements in science entitled Roark to a new trial and that it is unlikely a jury would convict him in light of those advancements,” chief prosecutor Cynthia Garza said in the statement.
This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 6:49 PM.
