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The Excerpt

Robert Roberson is on death row. The man who put him there now says he is innocent.

The Excerpt

USA TODAY

Daily News, News

4.11.2K Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2024

⏱️ 19 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 2002, Robert Roberson brought his very sick 2-year-old daughter Nikki to the emergency room. She died the next day. After doctors diagnosed SBS, or shaken baby syndrome, Roberson was arrested and later convicted. He now sits on death row in Texas, scheduled for execution on October 17th. The man largely responsible for putting him there is Brian Wharton, the former police detective who led the investigation and subsequent arrest of Roberson. Wharton, now an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, says he made a mistake and Roberson is in fact innocent. Will it be enough to save his life? Brian Wharton joins The Excerpt to share what made him, after all these years, change his mind.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:05.0

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0:08.0

Hello and

0:15.0

this is Sunday September 29th, 2024 and this is a special episode of the

0:19.6

excerpt.

0:20.6

In 2002 Robert Robert Roberson brought his very sick two-year-old daughter Nicky to the emergency room.

0:29.0

She died the next day.

0:30.6

After daughters diagnosed SBS or shaken baby syndrome,

0:33.9

Roberson was arrested and later convicted.

0:36.7

He now sits on death row in Texas scheduled for execution on October 17th.

0:41.7

The man largely responsible for putting him there is Brian Wharton, the former police

0:45.9

detective who led the investigation and subsequent arrest of Roberson. Wharton now an ordained

0:50.8

minister in the United Methodist Church says he made a mistake and

0:54.7

Roberson is in fact innocent. Will it be enough to save his life? Brian thank you so much for

1:00.4

joining me today on the excerpt.

1:03.7

I'm glad to be here.

1:05.6

So Brian, let's just start here. Would you tell us about Robert Roberson and kind of give us a snapshot of what

1:10.5

happened 22 years ago as you understood it back then?

1:14.4

Robert took his child to the hospital because she was unresponsive when he found her in the morning.

1:21.1

I sent an investigator to the hospital. After some time there, the

1:27.1

investigator let me know that there was too much going on for him to kind of take it all in and

1:32.3

so he asked for some help and so I went and then the two of us began to

...

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