September 24, 2026 / 9:16 PM CDT / AP. A Texas court on Thursday rejected a ruling that a woman on death row for 18 years is innocent of capital murder in the killing of her 2-year-old daughter in a case that attracted bipartisan calls from lawmakers and celebrities to release her from prison.

The sharply divided decision by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals leaves Melissa Lucio on Texas' death row, where she narrowly escaped execution in 2022 when the same court ordered a review of her case two days before her scheduled lethal injection.

Lucio's attorneys said Thursday they will now appeal her case to federal courts.