The model was developed with the help of psychologists and takes a nonconfrontational approach to interrogations. Thank you for visiting us. Lucio received the death penalty for the death of Mariah. Abbott can grant a one-time, 30-day reprieve. If I could take back my vote, I would, Johnny Galvan Jr., one of the jurors in Ms. Lucios case, wrote in, An innocent person is misclassified as a guilty suspect, Police coerce an innocent person into falsely incriminating themselves. 11 Strict Rules That Elon Musk Makes His Girlfriends & Wives Follow, Justin Bieber Suspected As The Father Of Kourtney Kardashian's Son Reign (Instead Of Scott Disick), Why Kate Moss Was 'Scared' & 'Couldn't Get Out Of Bed For Weeks' After Working With Mark Wahlberg. Her husband and Mariah's father, Robert Alvarez, was sentenced to four years in prison for child endangerment. She died two days later. In 2008, She was convicted of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. He is accused of neglecting to take his daughter to the doctor. . Paramedics were called to Melissa Lucio's home in Harlingen, Texas, on Feb. 17, 2007, after her 2-year-old daughter Mariah Alvarez was found unresponsive and not breathing. As noted in the appeals court opinion document, one of the investigators described Lucio's behavior. Unprecedented pictures of Melissa Lucio's examination have surfaced because of the absence of life column prisoner inside the narrative "Death by Mama" airs on ABC. Mariah was Lucio's twelfth child. The Innocence Project notes that Lucio was pregnant with twins at the time and was likely overwhelmed and grief-stricken after Mariahs death. Lucio says she regrets the confession and her advocates suggest that police and prosecutors were wrong to assume that she was the only one in the home capable of abusing Mariah. jsTikTok.async = true; Later on, Lucio had seven children with Robert Alvarez. Two more children (twins) were born while she was imprisoned. 2023byTango Publishing Corporation All Rights Reserved. Former Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos, who was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison in 2014 for extortion in a case unrelated to Lucio's, described this statement as a confession during the trial. Lucio had been sexually assaulted multiple times, starting at age 6, and had been physically and emotionally abused by two husbands. "And we intend on keeping that promise.". [13], Lucio was pregnant with twins at the time of Mariah's death, and authorities compelled her to place them for adoption after delivering them while in jail. Grants Clemency To Julius Jones Hours Before Scheduled Execution Amid Public Pressure. jsTikTok.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? And experts who have reviewed Ms. Lucios case, including her interrogation records, have concluded that Ms. Lucio was relentlessly pressured and extensively manipulated during the interrogation. Instead, those fighting for Lucio to be granted clemency claim she is a survivor of child physical and sexual abuse who was coerced into confessing to Mariahs murder. Two days later, she took a nap and didnt wake up. Lucio, 53, would be the first Latina executed by Texas and the first woman since 2014. Mariahs autopsy showed signs of a blood coagulation disorder, which causes profuse bruising throughout the body. In particular, the jury never learned about the extent of Ms. Lucios history of child sexual abuse and domestic violence and how it shaped her reactions immediately following her daughters death. RELATED: Oklahoma Gov. The State of Texas has scheduled Ms. Lucios execution for April 27, for a crime that never occurred. During the interrogation, officers berated and intimidated Ms. Lucio, who was pregnant and in shock from the loss of her child, for five hours. "We promised #MelissaLucio and her family we'd do everything we can do to prevent this irreversible injustice from taking place later this month,"Leach wrote Thursday on Twitter. Studies have shown that even trained forensic dentists cant agree whether or not an injury is a bite mark. She had numerous bruises, bite marks on her back, pulled-out hair patches, and a broken arm. "[10], During the trial, Lucio's recorded statements from her interrogation were described as a confession by Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos, who was seeking re-election at the time. jsTikTok.type = 'text/javascript'; Child Protective Services had previously investigated Lucio for allegations of child neglect, and they reported that Lucio's youngest children were often left in the care of their teenaged siblings. She would be the first Latina to ever be executed in the state. Lucio said that Mariah had fallen down a steep staircase during the family's move to a new apartment two days prior, but did not appear seriously injured, according to court records. Paramedics were called to Melissa Lucio's home in Harlingen, Texas, on Feb. 17, 2007, after her 2-year-old daughter Mariah Alvarez was found unresponsive and not breathing. The autopsy showed that Mariah also had a head injury and bruises on her kidneys lungs and spinal cord. Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. BROWNSVILLE - Melissa Elizabeth Lucio was formally sentenced to death by lethal injection in the 13th Judicial District Court, according to a Cameron county District Attorney's Office release. Lucio was addicted to cocaine and tested positive shortly after Mariah was born; this prompted authorities to place her children in foster care. New evidence suggests the death may have been an accident - and today, the Texas Board of Pardons . Greg Abbott to grant an execution reprieve or commute her sentence. "This is a woman who has a history of being threatened, being yelled at," she said. The State presented no physical evidence or witness testimony establishing that Lucio abused Mariah or any of her children, let alone killed Mariah, Judge Catharina Haynes wrote on behalf of the seven dissenting judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Death Penalty Action started the Free Melissa Lucio project shortly after Lucio was notified of her execution date. At one point, a ranger got within inches of Lucio's face and said there was evidence that did not look good, the petition stated. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. Abbott has granted clemency to only one death row inmate, Thomas Whitaker, since taking office in 2015. It would send a message that innocence doesn't matter," said Vanessa Potkin, one of Lucio's attorneys who is with the Innocence Project. Did OJ Simpson's Son Jason Kill Nicole Brown & Ron Goldman? Liliana Segura, Jordan Smith. See additional information. "Please allow us to reconcile with Mariah's death and remember her without fresh pain, anguish and grief. Lucio that her teenage daughter, Alexandra, may have been responsible for the bruises found on Mariahs body after her death. The medical examiner also testified at trial that a mark on Mariahs body were bite marks. Updated on March 25, 2022, 2:30 p.m. They also claim that Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos had previously been accused of inadequately investigating over 100 claims of child abuse. Melissa Lucio was born in Lubbock, Texas,[2] on June 18, 1969, according to court records. Potkin said Lucio's presumed guilt "was a complete rush to judgment" spurred on by misunderstanding, a "highly manipulative and coercive" interrogation and faulty forensics. Lucio said Mariah fell down the stairs two days ago and got hurt. [25], A 2020 documentary by Sabrina Van Tassel titled The State of Texas vs. Melissa follows Lucio's case. She says in another video that she never witnessed physical abuse, only her mother pinching Mariah or excluding her but says she later became aware that other physical abuse was happening. She had scattered bruising, bite marks on her back, patches of hair that had been pulled out, and a broken arm. Convicted of murdering one of her 9 children, her 2 year old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. The photos current inside and out . Without that context, the jury was undoubtedly swayed by Ms. Lucios statement and the Texas Rangers testimony about her demeanor during the interrogation. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Court documents show that prosecutors argued at Lucio's trial that she had repeatedly abused Mariah and killed her by hitting her in the head. , in recognition of the fact that bite mark evidence lacks scientific validity and following the exoneration of a man in Texas convicted based on faulty bite mark evidence, the Texas Forensic Science Commission recommended a state-wide moratorium on the use of bite mark evidence in criminal cases. The officers relied on their presumptions about how a mother should act in this tragic scenario and their gut-feeling, without a thorough forensic examination of the evidence to draw an unscientific presumption of guilt, which then created tunnel vision of investigators and the interrogating officers. Lucio, 40, of Harlingen was found guilty of capital murder for the death of her 21/2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. since Ms. Lucios trial because it has no scientific basis. Ms. Lucio got the death penalty but shes asking for a chance to appeal. As experts explain, particularly when wielded by male police officers the type of interrogation used against Ms. Lucio simply recapitulates the psychodynamics of domestic abuse. So, it makes sense that women, like Ms. Lucio, who learned to survive domestic abuse by accommodating and conforming to the wishes of the violent partner will likewise accommodate and conform to the demands of a threatening, armed male police officer in the interrogation room. Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez welcomed Mariah into the world in September 2004. Lucio's case was the subject of a 2020 documentary, The State of Texas vs. Melissa. On April 15, Ms. Lucios attorneys filed a habeas petition with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals seeking a stay of her execution and arguing that she deserves a new trial because she is innocent and the State relied on false evidence,and hid favorable evidence, to convict her. 03/23/2022 by Anne Tyler Melissa Lucio, a middle-aged mother, was sentenced to death for allegedly killing her two-year-old son. In this undated photograph, Melissa Lucio holds one of her sons, John. The Free Melissa Lucio project has worked closely with John Lucio, Melissa Lucio's eldest son, as he advocates for his mother's exoneration. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Isla Bryson Husband: Is Isla Bryson Married? Her next partner, who was also abusive, repeatedly raped her, and threatened to kill her. Lucio says she regrets the confession and her advocates suggest that. As Lucio's case hangs in the balance, a group of bipartisan Texas lawmakers led by Republican Rep. Jeff Leach is pleading with Gov. At the time of her death, Mariah was healing from an injury to her arm, which the medical examiner also said was a sign of abuse. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding her daughter Mariah. The toddler had a mild physical disability that made her unstable while walking and prone to tripping. Because of this, they decided to take her children and put them in foster care. if(isYTTikTok == 1){ Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. In shock and grieving the loss of her baby. It played at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020, and won best documentary at the Raindance Film Festival. The parole board was scheduled to vote on Lucio's clemency petition two days before the execution. She had many bruises bite marks on her back patches of hair pulled out and a broken arm. Selina says that Lucio was, not abusive to all of us. He then told Lucio that he would "help" her if she told him what he already knew. But Ms. Lucios life is still in jeopardy. Mariah Alvarez was born to Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez in September 2004. Ms. Lucio struggled at times to provide for her family, but was a caring mother, who did her best given her incredibly difficult circumstances. Updated on April 18, 2022, 7:30 p.m. Shes guilty of abusing my sister which led to the death of my sister. Five of Lucios children were not living with her at the time of Mariah's death. But worn down from a lifetime of abuse and the grief of losing her daughter Mariah, her lawyers say, the Texas woman finally acquiesced to investigators. Nearly 1 in 3 exonerated women were wrongly convicted of harming children or other loved ones in their care and over 70% were wrongly convicted of crimes that never took place at all events that were accidents, deaths by suicide, or fabricated according to data from the National Registry of Exonerations. They found out that Mariahs arm had been broken two to seven weeks before she died. "Her autopsy revealed bruised kidneys, a bruised spinal cord and bruised lungs," the D.A. Her lawyers say Lucio's sentence was disproportionate to what her husband and Mariah's father, Robert Alvarez, received. "Lucio still advances no evidence that is reliable and supportive of her acquittal," the office wrote in court documents last month. Selina, the fifth of Lucios 14 children, initially came forward on TikTok back in 2021 after the release of The State Of Texas vs. Melissa, a documentary on Hulu that covers the case and Lucios fight to have her conviction overturned. [6][failed verification] According to Lucio, Mariah had sustained the injuries when she fell down a flight of stairs two days earlier. The only person who abused my sister was my mother, Melissa Lucio, she claims in another video. Liza Soberano children: Does Liza Soberano Have Children? At the time of her death, Mariah was healing from an injury to her arm, which the medical examiner also said was a sign of abuse. a habeas petition with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals seeking a stay of her execution and arguing that she deserves a new trial because she is innocent and the State relied on false evidence,and hid favorable evidence, to convict her. To date, over 100 bipartisan Texas lawmakers signed letters urging the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend clemency for Melissa. [14], Forensic pathologist Dr. Thomas Young, the former chief medical examiner in Kansas City, Missouri, reviewed the case at the request of Lucio's post-conviction attorney. Lucio was convicted of killing her daughter, Mariah Alvarez, 15 years ago in . Call Gov. On April 12, attorneys for Melissa filed a supplemental clemency application including a new declaration from a fifth juror Melissas jury foreperson who joins the calls of four other jurors and the alternate to halt Melissas pending execution or grant her a new trial where new evidence of her innocence can be considered. I am now convinced that the jury got it wrong and I know that there is too much doubt to execute Lucio. Mariah's mother, Melissa Lucio was convicted of capital murder in this case. Abbott must undertake a meaningful review of Ms. Lucios innocence claim, the coercive tactics used in her interrogation, and the tragic circumstances of Mariahs accidental death, before an irreversible injustice occurs. While she was in prison she gave birth to twins which made a total of four children. In a March 2022 letter to the Board of Pardons and Paroles and to Governor Abbott, eighty-three members of the Texas House of Representatives, including both Democrats and Republicans, signed a letter stating that executing Lucio would be "a miscarriage of justice". Hours after Melissa Lucio's 2-year-old daughter died in 2007, Texas Rangers took Lucio to an interrogation room where they yelled at her, threatened her and showed her pictures of her dead child, her attorneys said. 89.44.32.192 Website by MADEO. More than 130 Baptist, Evangelical and Catholic faith leaders in Texas, including the executive director of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas and the director of the Rio Grande Valley Baptist Association, support clemency for Ms. Lucio. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding one of her sons, John. } She was just struggling. He claims that before his deceased daughter Mariah Alvarez passed away, he was unaware of her fatal injuries. Mariah was the twelfth child of Lucio. Melissa Elizabeth Lucio, Texas. Web: www.ghgossip.com, About Us Contact Advertise Privacy Policy, Get To Know Neil Wagner: Biography, Age, Career, Net Worth, Height, Relationship & More. Melissa Lucio has spent the last 15 years on death row after she was convicted of capital murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah. All Rights Reserved. A woman facing execution in Texas for killing her daughter is seeking clemency, claiming she was coerced into confessing to the crime. According to Dr. Young, Melissa Lucio should not be executed because he believes she is innocent. ", "Texas mother is set for execution as evidence suggests she did not kill her child", "I voted to sentence Melissa Lucio to death. We speak to one of Lucio's attorneys . Child Protective Services had previously investigated Lucio for allegations of child neglect, and they reported that Lucio's youngest children were often left in the care of their teenaged siblings. Make sure everyone on Twitter knows her name: Tweet now, 10 datos que debes saber sobre esta mujer inocente que enfrenta su ejecucin. Her young daughter Mariah died and had many injuries like bruises on her head kidneys lungs spinal cord and other places. He got a four-year sentence for causing injury to a child by omission even though he also was responsible for Mariah's care, Lucio's lawyers argue. On February 17 2007 paramedics came to the Lucio home because two-year-old Mariah was not breathing and didnt respond. Lucio told police Mariah fell asleep and did not wake up. He continued by telling her, "We already know what happened". Lucio, who is an inmate on Texas death row, is set to be executed on Apr. What we know today which we didnt know 15 years ago is that survivors of significant trauma and domestic abuse, like Ms. Lucio, are particularly vulnerable to the coercive police interrogation that Ms. Lucio endured for over five hours. Unable to be resuscitated, her daughter was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Mariah was Lucio's twelfth child. "She was not evil. [22], In April 2022, a juror on the trial, Johnny Galvan Jr., wrote in the Houston Chronicle that he had wrongly succumbed to peer pressure during deliberations and had changed his vote from a life sentence to the death penalty. "People generally confess falsely to get out of the interrogation room," Guarnera said. Lucio, sentenced to death for killing her daughter, maintains her innocence. Instead of taking the steps to learn about Mariahs health history and investigating the causes of her injuries, authorities immediately jumped to the conclusion that she had been murdered and, through a coercive interrogation, pressured Ms. Lucio to make a false statement. It's because of the trauma that she has suffered all of her life," she said. Officers used powerfully manipulative techniques many of which rise to the level of risk factors for false confession to coerce Ms. Lucio to incriminate herself. "Interrogation is also a very cognitively demanding task so you need to be listening, you need to be parsing the truth and falsity of the information, you need to be thinking about your future options and consequences.". Detectives rushed to judgment and, just two hours after Mariah died, took Ms. Lucio in for questioning. On the other hand, her lawyers have been claiming that she was wrongfully convicted of beating her own child. Research has shown that survivors of sexual abuse and violence, like Ms. Lucio, are even more vulnerable to. The brief states that Lucio's subdued behavior and acquiescence during interrogation were the result of prior trauma as a survivor of abuse. Her husband later abandoned her and their five children. He spoke in emotional support of his mother at a press conference on Friday held by civic engagement nonprofit Somos Tejas, Texas state Rep. Victoria Neave Criado and other Texas state legislators saying that his family "hasn't been the same" since her incarceration. But Ms. Lucios life is still in jeopardy. A mitigation specialist at trial named Norma Villanueva claims that Alexandra admitted during a family meeting in June 2008 that she was the reason Mariah fell down the stairs.. Two of the officers who interrogated Ms. Lucio were present at Mariahs autopsy, leading to a biased autopsy process, and an incomplete investigation into Mariahs health history and causes of her injuries and death. Selinas claims contradict the evidence presented in the case. "I was not gonna admit to causing her death because I wasn't responsible," Lucio said. Officers contaminated the confession by repeatedly showing Ms. Lucio photographs of relevant evidence and suggesting certain words and facts, which she ultimately parroted back to the officers. MELISSA ELIZABETH LUCIO, Appellant v. THE STATE OF TEXAS ON DIRECT APPEAL CAUSE NUMBER 07-CR-885-B IN THE 138TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT CAMERON COUNTY Hervey, J., delivered the opinion of the Court in which Meyers, Johnson, Keasler, Cochran, and alcala, JJ., joined. The local hospital said the child had passed away. "She was a good mother. Details about what allegedly happened in the interrogation room were also outlined in the clemency petition. The detectives shouted at her, berated her for being a neglectful mother, and implied that if Mariah's death was not her fault then it had to have been one of her children, according to the petition. [9][23] The Mexican Ambassador to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma, announced on April 22 that he sent a letter to Governor Abbott asking him to grant executive clemency to Lucio, as "Mexico has historically manifested an unwavering commitment in its opposition to the death penalty. An appeals court opinion detailed how an investigator said he "knew she did something" because of her demeanor. They used coercive methods known to produce false confessions. Lucio was found guilty of abusing and killing her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, in 2007. On Feb. 8, attorneys for Ms. Lucio, to withdraw or modify her looming execution date, and on March 22, her legal team, to the governor and Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. She was scheduled for execution on April 27, 2022. Melissa Lucio was found guilty of a very serious crime called "capital murder". Greg Abbott and other elected officials to stop her execution. Lucio claimed that Alvarez had fallen down the stairs but it was quickly noted that Alvarez had suffered horrific abuse. The district attorney's office said in a statement to the Brownsville Herald that Mariah had been "severely beaten," had "bruises in various states of healing covering her body" and had missing portions of her hair. I'm responsible. Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez became parents to Mariah in September 2004. var tiktokscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; Nearly all proven false confession cases have the following three things in common: As soon as police officers encountered Ms. Lucio, they misclassified her response to the grief and shock of her daughters death as indicative of guilt. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. "What victims learn to do in these relationships in order to survive the abuse or violence is they learn to capitulate, they learn to comply, they learn to appease. ET:This article has been updated to reflect the latest news in this case. She was interrogated for five hours by armed police officers who reportedly berated her. . Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Ms. Lucio received a death penalty sentence and is appealing. The Cameron County District Attorneys Office said Mariah was found at home with signs of abuse. In late 2006 Lucio got back the other kids after three older kids went to live with their father in Houston. Lucio and her children struggled through poverty. She was especially vulnerable, her lawyers say, as she was grieving for her daughter, pregnant with twins at the time, and a victim of abuse and trauma throughout her life. Paramedics were called and Lucio was quickly taken in for questioning about the death of her youngest child. [3] Lucio says she was sexually abused by her mother's boyfriend for about two years, beginning when she was seven years old. [26], On March 6, 2022, in the main segment of an episode of the HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver called "Wrongful Convictions", her case was the main one to be mentioned as a reason for the reform of the American justice system and specifically, the abolition of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA). As two experts on false confessions have determined, due to the officers tactics and Ms. Lucios vulnerability, her incriminating statements are not a reliable confession of her guilt, but rather are a regurgitation of information relayed to her from investigators throughout the interrogation.. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Trial jurors, forensic experts, and Texas lawmakers push for Lucio's life to be spared ahead of her April 27 execution. "We've had her interrogation reviewed by leading experts in interrogation and false confessions. Email: [emailprotected] Melissa Lucio is where she needs to be locked up behind bars for the death of her 2 year old daughter Mariah Alvarez. The local hospital declared the child dead. At 16, she became a child bride to escape. In 2019, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. She is now fighting to stop her April 27 execution. They also say Lucio wasn't allowed to present evidence questioning the validity of her confession. 27, 2022 for the 2007 death of Mariah. Prosecutors, however, painted a different picture. During her trial, those statements were presented to the jury as her confession. "And she was ashamed of what she did, and she had a hard time admitting to officers what had occurred. He concluded that Dr. Farley appeared to have jumped to wrong conclusions. As the interrogation dragged on, Lucio told detectives that she had hit Mariah in the past, but did not say she killed the little girl. After the death of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, who had injuries to her head, contusions of the kidneys, lungs, and spinal cord, as well as scattered bruises that were in various stages of healing, she was found guilty of capital murder. Kim Kardashian has joined the fight to stop the execution of Melissa Lucio, a woman sentenced to the death penalty for the death of her 2-year-old daughter in 2007. Minyvonne Burkeis a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. The project's petition, asking Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz to rescind the execution, has received over 44,000 signatures. Mechanic agreed, describing dissociation as a coping mechanism. Selina claims that none of her other siblings were abusive towards Mariah. The medical examiner also testified at trial that a mark on Mariahs body were bite marks. "I think there's this thought or belief that if we give up the accusatory, guilt-presumptive, coercive style of American interrogations, it'll have bad consequences and we won't be able to convict people," she said. HOUSTON During hours of relentless questioning, Melissa Lucio more than 100 times had denied fatally beating her 2-year-old daughter. [8] She admitted to having spanked Mariah, but denied ever having abused her, which she repeated more than 100 times. The autopsy also revealed that Mariah had suffered a head injury and bruises on her kidneys, lungs, and spinal cord. However, pathologists who have reviewed the evidence have concluded that this testimony was false. In the documentary, Alexandra does not recall these alleged confessions. As a result, she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociation, according to her legal team. 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To grant an execution reprieve or commute her sentence she had a hard admitting... Takes a nonconfrontational approach to interrogations injuries like bruises on her head kidneys lungs spinal cord and bruised lungs and! Mariah into the world in September 2004 16, she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder dissociation. Statements were presented to the Lucio home because two-year-old Mariah was found guilty abusing. Have children 9 children, her daughter is seeking clemency, claiming she was in she! Lucio received the death may have been claiming that she was imprisoned last month twins the! Than five hours by armed police officers who reportedly berated her became a child bride escape... Room were also outlined in the appeals court opinion detailed how an investigator said he `` knew did. Sentence and is appealing described Lucio 's case was the subject of a very serious called. Be resuscitated, her 2 year old daughter, Mariah Alvarez 2020 documentary, the State a mark Mariahs! To date, over 100 claims of child abuse she became a child bride to escape disability that her! `` knew she did something '' because of this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID at...
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