A Texas board rejects clemency plea from a man facing execution in shaken baby syndrome case

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas state board on Wednesday declined to stop what could be the first execution in the U.S. in a case tied to the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome, rejecting clemency pleas from a man whose claims of innocence have drawn wide support, including from Republican lawmakers and a detective who say the conviction was based on faulty science.

The parole board voted unanimously, 6-0, to not recommend that Robert Roberson’s death sentence be commuted to life in prison or that his execution be delayed.