Man Sentenced to Death In Murder of 2-Year-Old Daughter: Paxton Notifies TX Supreme Court of State Rep. Jeff Leach’s Unlawful Attempt to Influence Proceedings

“Given the one-sided picture of Mr. Roberson that has been recently portrayed in the media, we feel obliged to speak up and defend the real victim in this case whose life was taken by the hands of Robert Roberson, Nikki Curtis. Nikki’s story must be told,” the family of the 2-year-old baby statement to the Texas House Committee read regarding the January 2002 death.

Last week, State Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, and other representatives filed a document denouncing the committee’s actions and saying Nikki and her family deserve justice. Harris delivered the letter from Nikki’s family to the Texas House on Criminal Jurisprudence.

In the letter, the family said he should be executed just because he is a “bad man.”

“We believe his death sentence should be carried out based on the facts of this case, which remain true today, as well the overwhelming evidence that was presented at the trial that led to the jury’s verdict,” the statement read.

On Friday, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) was notified by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that State Representative Jeff Leach sent unethical “ex parte” communications to a sitting Judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA).

In those messages, Leach sought to improperly influence ongoing and future Robert Roberson capital punishment proceedings by explicitly imploring that Judge to change her vote in Roberson’s latest round of postconviction proceedings.

The CCA wrote: “This Court sees this communication as a clear violation of Texas Disciplinary Rule of Professional Conduct 3.05.”

On Monday, the OAG notified the Texas Supreme Court of this serious breach of ethical rules and violation of law, and Leach issued a public statement confessing to it.

Tuesday, Attorney General Paxton issued the following statement calling for Jeff Leach’s resignation.

“Jeff Leach sought to alter the outcome of capital punishment proceedings by criminally attempting to influence a judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals.

This is a violation of Texas Penal Code 36.04, which outlaws ‘improper influence.’

It is a crime to ‘privately address[] a representation, entreaty, argument, or other communication to any public servant who exercises or will exercise official discretion in an adjudicatory proceeding with an intent to influence the outcome of the proceeding on the basis of considerations other than those authorized by law.’

Leach admitted he did this in a public statement. My office is now making a criminal referral.

Leach is Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence. He is also on the Texas Judicial Council. These entities set the policies for the state judiciary, which includes the State Commission on Judicial Conduct and the Court of Criminal Appeals.

Leach cannot effectively serve as Chairman of his Committee: he has confessed to ethical violations and to breaking the law. He has unconstitutionally interfered in capital punishment proceedings.

His conduct demonstrates that he is unfit to serve in any capacity overseeing our judicial system and unfit to serve as a Member of the Texas House.

House Speaker Dade Phelan must immediately remove him as Chairman before he can do further damage, and Leach must resign.”

It was discovered by the FBI, that Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens, elected in 2016, had potential campaign finance violations on her record while investigating someone else, court documents show.

● A Texas Rangers investigation later found Stephens received individual campaign contributions in cash.

● A George Soros financed Jefferson County district attorney declined to prosecute the case.

● Paxton sought a grand jury indictment in Chambers County, directly west of Jefferson County. Stephens was indicted in 2018 on three counts of campaign finance violations.

● When Stephens’ appeal made its way up to the Court of Criminal Appeals, they sided with her.

● Paxton repealed, but the Court of Criminal Appeals denied his motion for a rehearing in 2022.

● Slaughter, elected to the court in 2018, wrote a 73-page dissent when the court denied Paxton’s motion for the rehearing.

● Slaughter actually voted with the court’s 5-4 majority to reject Roberson’s latest appeals. She declined to engage with Leach’s request and reported the messages to the court.

● Leach, a former Paxton ally, played a key role in Phelan’s Texas House’s effort to impeach and remove the AG from office last year.

He served on the House board of managers, which handled Paxton’s prosecution during the Senate trial in which he was ultimately acquitted.

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