Kim Kardashian has called the court-ordered delay of a Texas woman’s execution the “best news ever”.
Melissa Lucio was due to be given a lethal injection on Wednesday before she was granted a ‘stay of execution’ – a temporary suspension of judgement – so jurors at a lower court can review evidence that may acquit her.
Lucio was convicted over the 2007 death of her daughter Mariah, who prosecutors say was the victim of child abuse.
Posting about the news on her Instagram story, Kardashian, who is training to be a lawyer and has been following the case, said it was the “best news ever!”
She added: “Melissa Lucio has been on death row for over 14 years for her daughter’s death that was a tragic accident.
“She is getting a new trial on her case and has been granted a stay of execution by the Texas Court of Appeals.”
A statement from Lucio, provided by her lawyers, read: “I am grateful the court has given me the chance to live and prove my innocence.
“Mariah is in my heart today and always. I am grateful to have more days to be a mother to my children and a grandmother to my grandchildren.
“I will use my time to help bring them to Christ. I am deeply grateful to everyone who prayed for me and spoke out on my behalf.”
Kardashian previously said she was “heartbroken” by written pleas from the children of Lucio, and that there were “many unresolved questions” in the case.
The reality star has been vocal on several high-profile US legal cases, and recently passed her first year law students’ examination, known as the “baby bar”.
The 41-year-old recently branded the US legal system “unfair” over the case of 26-year-old truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos who was sentenced to 110 years in prison following an accident that killed four people in 2019.