Carmen Mejia
A judge has overturned the convictions of Carmen Mejia, freeing her after more than two decades behind bars. photo: screenshot on X

Carmen Mejia spent 22 years behind bars for the death of a 10-month-old baby boy in July 2003. But instead of treating the incident as an accident, the Texas woman was arrested and accused of murdering the infant. Thanks to new evidence presented, Mejia has been cleared and exonerated on Wednesday, 11 March.

Travis County District Court Judge P. David Wahlberg overturned her convictions for felony murder, injury to a child and injury to a child by omission. This allowed the 54-year-old mother to walk free, leaving the Travis County Correctional Complex at 12:03 a.m. CT, NBC News reported.

At her hearing, Mejia got emotional and shared that she never lost faith. She just prayed and hoped that one day, justice would truly be served.

'Throughout these 22 years, I kept my faith and my hope that God was going to do justice,' Mejia said. 'I want to thank everybody who's with me in this moment and my judge.'

The Forgettable 2003 Incident

It was on 28 July 2003 when Mejia was at home tending to her four children and a 10-month-old baby she was babysitting. While attending to her youngest child, her eldest gave the baby a bath, according to a release by the Innocence Project.

But the water heater at the rented home they were living in at the time lacked the necessary safety features, and the water in the tub reached 147.8°F. The baby suffered third-degree burns within seconds after being exposed to the water. The boy was rushed to the hospital but eventually died.

Further, a testimony from one of her daughters helped. She detailed how the baby was in the bathtub when she turned the faucet on. She also added that Mejia was not in the bathroom when the incident happened.

'Ms Mejia, today we acknowledge that our office failed you,' Sarah Byrom, an Assistant District Attorney from the Travis County District Attorney's Office, said. 'The state pursued and obtained a conviction against you for what we now understand was a tragic accident, and that failure cost you over 22 years of your life. Nothing that I say, and nothing that we do in this courtroom today, can restore the time that was taken from you or undo the pain and separation that you and your children have had to endure.'

New Problems Ahead for Mejia

Although she was cleared of those accusations, Mejia faces a new hurdle. This is in reference to an immigration hold, something that would not have been issued if not for her wrongful conviction.

It was learned that Mejia gained Temporary Protected Status because of unsafe conditions in Honduras. Arriving in the United States in 1995, Carmen lawfully obtained work authorisation. She has been residing in America for 30 years, and all her children are U.S. citizens.

Given that, all eyes are now on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The agency has 48 hours to decide whether to detain and transfer Mejia to immigration detention or release her.

After getting word of Mejia's release and being made aware of the ICE issue, Austin-area U.S. Congressman Greg Casar blasted the Trump administration's policies for their actions against innocent immigrants such as Carmen, News 4 San Antonio reported.

'Now, after being wrongfully imprisoned for two decades, Carmen must be allowed to rebuild her life here. Carmen Mejia is innocent. That is what the judge ruled today,' Casar said. "But the Trump administration needs to stop detaining and incarcerating innocent immigrants.'

For now, all Mejia wants is to be with her family and make up for lost time. As far as the immigration issue, it appears she plans to face it and continue to pray, as she did in prison.

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