Travis County Judge Signs Order to Dismiss Carmen Mejia’s Indictment on the Basis of Actual Innocence
Travis County District Attorney’s Office Joined Ms. Mejia’s Counsel to Dismiss the Indictment
Travis County, TX — Today, Travis County District Attorney José Garza announced that District Court Judge Wahlberg signed the State’s motion to dismiss Carmen Mejia’s Murder, Injury to a Child with Serious Bodily Injury, and Injury to a Child by Omission indictment. During today’s hearing, the State asserted that Ms. Mejiais innocent of the crimes for which she was convicted and sentenced in this cause.
The hearing took place following the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas’s decision on January 22, 2026, declaring that Ms. Meija was “actually innocent” of the death of a 10-month-old baby in July 2003.
In 2005, Carmen Mejia was convicted of Murder, Injury to a Child with Serious Bodily Injury, and Injury to a Child by Omission and sentenced to three concurrent terms of life in prison with parole. Although the testimony at trial was that the water heater was set high enough that the lethal burns could have been caused in mere seconds, the State called three separate experts who all testified that they believed the baby had been held down and it was an intentional act. In addition, it was alleged that, to cover up her actions, she failed to promptly get him medical care afterward, which resulted in his death.
Ms. Mejia’s post-conviction counsel had the case reviewed by a burn expert, who concluded that there was no indication of an intentional act. The Travis County District Attorney’s Office’s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) subsequently opened an investigation that included interviewing children who were present at the home when the baby died.
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office CIU then returned to the original experts who testified during the trial with the new report and witness statements.
In post-conviction hearings held in 2024, the child witness testified that she was in the home when the baby was burned, that she turned on the faucet while the baby was in the bathtub, and that Ms. Mejia was not in the bathroom with the baby at that time. In addition, at a separate hearing, Ms. Mejia presented two witnesses, including a nationally recognized medical expert on burns and an expert in scalding injuries from hot water heaters.
When given this new information, both original State experts swore affidavits that they could no longer opine that the injuries were caused intentionally and that this could have been accidental, as described by the child witness in 2024. The State presented the affidavits to the Court. Additionally, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on the child in 2003 reviewed this new information and changed her opinion on the manner of death from “Homicide” to “Accident.”
In August 2025, after hearing the evidence, District Court Judge Wahlberg agreed that Ms. Mejia was actually innocent, declared there was “clear and convincing” proof that Ms. Mejia had been wrongfully convicted, and remanded the case to the Court of Criminal Appeals. In January 2026, the Court of Criminal Appeals found Ms. Mejia actually innocent and remanded the case to Travis County for dismissal.
“Our hearts continue to break for the family of baby M, who have suffered for so long,” said Travis County District Attorney José Garza. “In this case, our criminal justice system failed them and Carmen Mejia. Our hope is that through our actions today, we can bring some closure and peace to both families. As prosecutors, we have an obligation to ensure the integrity of convictions and to seek justice. Dismissing Ms. Mejia’s case is the right thing to do after she established clear and convincing evidence that she is innocent. We hope that Ms. Mejia can move forward with her life and her children after spending 23 years in prison.”
“While we are overjoyed that the courts finally recognize that Ms. Mejia is innocent, this grave injustice should have never happened in the first place,” said Vanessa Potkin, Ms. Mejia’s Innocence Project attorney. “Ms. Mejia is a woman of immeasurable strength, who has relied on her deep faith to withstand a traumatic period of her life that most people wouldn’t be able to survive. Her case is far from isolated. There is a clear pattern in our criminal legal system of wrongly accusing caregivers when a child in their care dies from an accident or illness, particularly when those caregivers are women of color. We have seen too many cases like Ms. Mejia’s where false and outdated medical testimony lead to wrongful convictions, and there are undoubtedly thousands more people still wrongly imprisoned because of such testimony.”
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU)
In 2021, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit, under Travis County District Attorney José Garza, was reorganized and provided with additional resources. Over the last five years, the CIU has participated in multiple historical case reviews and has agreed that defendants (including Ms. Mejia) were entitled to relief in 11 cases.