Dateline Presents: The Last Appeal

Dateline Originals

NBC News

True Crime

4.6 • 773 Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2025

⏱️ 5 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Hey Dateline fans! As a bonus for you, we’re sharing a special preview clip of The Last Appeal, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Lester Holt. In this series, Lester Holt takes listeners inside the urgent case of Robert Roberson, a Texas father set to be executed on October 16th for the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter. Lester is on the ground in Texas, where he examines the evidence against Roberson and talks to the people closest to the case, including the lead detective, who now believes he helped put an innocent man behind bars. Lester’s exclusive interviews reveal critical information the jury never heard. This series will confront listeners with questions about justice and truth, and perhaps the most haunting question of all: Is an innocent man about to be put to death? To start listening, just search “The Last Appeal”. And remember to follow for new episodes releasing each day this week. For ad-free listening, subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or DatelinePremium.com.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Lester Holt from Dateline NBC.
0:03.2	Here's a special preview of my new podcast, The Last Appeal.
0:21.7	Good morning to you, Mr. Hope. I'm blessed? I'm blessed, I'm blessed. I'm sitting in a plastic chair inside the notorious Polanski unit in West Livingston, Texas,
0:30.6	Death Row.
0:31.6	Across from me, a man named Robert Robertson.
0:35.6	We got a lot to talk about. Yes, sir.
0:38.3	He's a big guy, more than six feet, wearing a white prison jumpsuit.
0:43.6	We're so close, I could shake his hand, if not for the pain of plexiglass between us.
0:50.0	On October 16th, Robert is scheduled to die by lethal injection.
0:56.0	How are you preparing for your own death, your own execution?
1:00.0	I'm at peace if it happens, but I'm not ready because I don't think I should be executed when I'm innocent.
1:07.0	In 2003, a jury convicted Robert of murdering his two-year-old daughter, Nikki.
1:13.6	Prosecutors say the evidence is overwhelming.
1:16.6	Mr. Roberson took the life of his daughter.
1:19.6	And I just remember that cold face, and I looked, and that poor little girl was just, she was dead.
1:25.6	Some in Nikki's family believe Robert's date with death is long overdue.
1:30.7	This is his third execution date. It's Tom.
1:34.3	It's no more waiting.
1:36.4	But a growing army is rallying behind Robert.
1:39.8	They believe he is innocent.
1:41.9	I almost cannot believe what I'm reading.
1:43.6	They argue his case urgently needs another look. Now, before. they believe he is innocent. I almost cannot believe what I'm reading.
	...

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