Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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In October 2024, Robert Robertson was less than two hours away from dying when he won a last minute stay. That was a long day. He recently shared with me what hardly anyone lives to describe, the choreography of an execution, the hours leading up to his own death.
I had to strip, and they gave me some other fresh clothing and stuff and stuff, and then they gave me a pair of cloth slippers for my feet, you know, and had to put the belt of the chain around me and handcuffs and locket in place.
Officers loaded Robert into a van bound for the 50-mile drive to Huntsville, the death chamber. He was led to a tiny cell. So I was walking back and forth, kind of pacing and stuff, you know, talking to the Lord, praying to the Lord, you know.
Robert was counting down the final minutes of his life.
not knowing if the next footstep would be news of mercy or death. I believe it was around 6 or somewhere around there and heard, got to stay or something. But then I heard they took it back, right? Until shortly after 10 p.m., when the execution was called off, the Texas Supreme Court had issued a last-minute stay.
It was a very, very, very long day, sir, you know.
Robert's prayers were answered. But one year later, the clock was ticking again. And now the state, of course, has a new death date for you. Yes, sir. Do you wish you had taken the plea bargain? No, I'm glad that I didn't. But look where you are. Yeah, look where I'm at. Thank you. It's about the truth. It's about the truth. Have you thought about last words, what you'll say?
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Chapter 2: What led to Robert Robertson's last-minute stay of execution?
I'm Lester Holt, and this is The Last Appeal, a podcast from Dateline. Episode 4, The Reckoning.
I move as follows.
In October 2024, lawmakers had successfully saved Robert's life using an unprecedented and deliberate maneuver.
Robert Robertson, to provide all relevant testimony and information concerning the committee's inquiry.
They had summoned him to testify, but there was a catch. The hearing was set after Robertson's scheduled execution. Robert was eager to tell his story, but when the date came, he never made it to the Capitol. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton blocked him, arguing to the state's top court that the subpoena violated the law, and he said transporting Robert to the House chamber could be dangerous.
Still, the legislators pressed on with the hearing. The House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence will come to order. Instead, they called other witnesses to testify.
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Chapter 3: How did Robert experience the hours leading up to his execution?
Mr. Grisham, are you able to hear me? I can hear you, yes. Can you hear me? Okay, perfect.
Among them, best-selling author and lawyer John Grisham, who spoke with the committee through a video call. It's my honor to be here to speak for Robert Roberson. He's been closely following Robert's case. I've been on the board of the Innocence Project in New York for a long, long time.
And for the past 15 years or so, we have been more and more concerned about the shaken baby syndrome, shaken baby convictions.
And I know what it takes to have a fair trial. Robert's trial was grossly unfair.
It is a great honor to be here testifying before this committee.
Another witness, someone you've already heard from in this podcast.
My name is Terry Compton. I was one of the 12 jurors on the case of Robert Robertson's trial. And I took that position very seriously.
Terry Compton, the juror, had gotten a visit from Gretchen Swinn, Robert's lawyer. She said she was furious after Gretchen told her details that the jurors didn't know about Nikki's medical history, about Robert's autism. Now, Terry made a stunning admission.
If you had known that, would that have made a difference in how you voted in this case?
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Chapter 4: What significant events occurred during Robert's legal battle?
I called Gretchen to find out why. Thanks for doing this on short notice. First of all, describe the significance of what you heard and how it figures into your case.
I listened to the first episode of your podcast on Monday morning, and quite shockingly is a revelation about an unknown fact.
What caught her ear was a detail Nikki's grandfather, Larry Bowman, told me about the final hours of Nikki's life in the hospital. Did you have to make the decision to take her off support? Yeah, we did. Larry told me that a judge spoke with the hospital and informed them that he and his wife, not Robert, would make decisions about Nikki's medical care. Gretchen knew that.
What she didn't know was the judge's name. Matter of fact, Judge Bentley told them that we were the parents. Judge Bascom Bentley, the same judge who presided over Robert's murder trial. He passed away in 2017. Now you have a name.
Now we have a name, and it's a big name. I'm sorry if I sound agitated, but it was quite the shock to realize he was the judge that signed the arrest warrant and went on to preside over the entire trial.
To Gretchen, that was proof of something powerful, that Judge Bentley had decided Robert was guilty before he'd been arrested.
I find it hard to imagine how someone wouldn't believe that this information shows that this judge had already made a decision that Robert was guilty.
Over the summer, Gretchen filed a motion about the parental rights issue. The state responded, arguing it was speculation that no judge ever spoke with the hospital. Within 24 hours of listening to the podcast, Gretchen raced to court and amended her motion with the name of the judge that Larry had given us.
The trial itself should be null and void.
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Chapter 5: What role did Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton play in Robert's case?
No, actually, I'm still hopeful. I still got a lot of hope. Robert was once again counting down the hours of his life, his third date with death.
The whole world is watching. Texas, do not kill this innocent man.
But one week before Robert was to die, a twist no one saw coming.
We have won a battle, but we have certainly not won the war.
The countdown to midnight has begun, but there's still time for one more party, and the stars are coming out for 2025's last holiday special, The Old Year's Gotta Go. Before we ring the new one in, share the fun when Hoda and Jenna reunite.
We're back!
Join the celebration with a toast to 2025. Happy New Year! New Year's Eve on NBC. My name is Andrew Goldman. No story I've encountered in my 30 years as a journalist has gripped me by the throat, quite like the murder of Martha Moxley and conviction of Michael Skakel. I thought I understood the case.
It was a decades-long story about the powerful and the privileged seemingly getting away with murder.
But I discovered a much darker, more shocking tale than I ever could have guessed. They put a sign around my neck that said, hi, my name is Michael Skakel and I'm a murderer.
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Chapter 6: How did juror Terry Compton reflect on her decision in Robert's trial?
This is murder by bombing.
I don't know what she was mixed up in.
I can't believe he's telling me this story.
If you watch Dateline, there's always an end, and that wasn't it. It was just the beginning.
Dateline, Friday night at 9, 8 central, only on NBC.
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