He's Days from Execution for Daughter’s 'Shaken Baby' Death: But Is Case Based on 'Undermined' Science? By Liam Quinn

As a Texas man whose murder conviction has long been questioned is set to be executed, Lester Holt has debuted a new podcast taking an in-depth look at the case.

Robert Roberson has been on death row for more than 20 years after he was convicted of murder in the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis.

At the time, prosecutors claimed Nikki had died of shaken baby syndrome and that Roberson had killed her, the Associated Press previously reported.

But Roberson’s attorneys have claimed the toddler was not murdered and instead had died after suffering from numerous health issues — the result of acute viral pneumonia and inappropriate medication prescribed by doctors.

In a snippet from Holt’s new podcast with Dateline shared on Today, the former NBC Nightly News anchor notes that the science behind shaken baby syndrome has been “undermined.”

“There is growing evidence that other things … can cause shaken baby, or the effects that [doctors] were talking about,” Holt told Today.

For the podcast, The Last Appeal, Holt traveled to Texas to speak to Roberson, who remains hopeful.

But despite the growing doubt over his conviction, Roberson’s execution is still scheduled for Oct. 16. Last year, Roberson’s execution by lethal injection was halted by the Texas Supreme Court, but a new date was scheduled.

Among Roberson’s supporters is Brian Wharton, who had been the lead detective in the initial investigation but later learned that Roberson had been diagnosed with autism.

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The Texas Tribune reported that Roberson’s attorneys argued that his “flat demeanor,” which they say stems from his autism diagnosis, contributed to his conviction because it was cited as a “sign of culpability.”

“I will be forever haunted by my participation in his arrest and prosecution,” Wharton wrote in a letter of support for Roberson’s clemency. “He is an innocent man.”

Prosecutors, however, maintain that Roberson is guilty.

“Everything that [Roberson] continues to complain of has been litigated in state and federal court, and every court has rejected his arguments,” prosecutors wrote in a 2024 objection to a stay of execution.