Juan A. Lozano, Author at The Rapid City Post

Robert Roberson waits to be interviewed in a locked visitation cell at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit prison in Livingston, Texas, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. Roberson, who has maintained his innocence on death row for more than 20 years, is scheduled to be executed on Oct. 16, for the 2002 killing of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis. (AP Photo/Annie Mulligan)

Robert Roberson remains hopeful as he faces another execution date in shaken baby syndrome case

October 7, 2025

Robert Roberson hopes he will again avoid becoming the first person in the U.S. executed for a murder conviction tied to the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. Roberson is scheduled to be executed in Texas on Oct. 16 for the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter Nikki Curtis. During a prison interview with The Associated Press, Roberson maintained his innocence and says he is placing his hopes for an execution stay in the hands of his lawyers, his supporters and God. Prosecutors say Roberson physically abused his daughter. His lawyers and some medical experts say she died not from abuse but from medical complications.

This undated booking photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Texas death row inmate Blaine Milam. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)

Texas man facing execution for fatally beating 13-month-old girl during ‘exorcism’

September 24, 2025

A Texas man is facing execution for killing his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter in what the couple had said was part of an “exorcism” to expel a demon from the child’s body. Blaine Milam was set to receive a lethal injection Thursday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. He was condemned for the December 2008 hammer beating of Amora Carson at his East Texas trailer. Prosecutors said Milam savagely beat, bit and strangled the girl over 30 hours. Milam has claimed innocence, blaming the killing on the girl’s mother. Milam’s attorneys have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop his execution, arguing his conviction was based in part on now discredited bite mark evidence.

Texas A&M professor fired after video shows classroom confrontation over gender identity coursework

September 10, 2025

A professor at Texas A&M University has been fired and others were removed from their positions after a video surfaced in which a student confronted the instructor over her teaching of issues related to gender identity in a class on children’s literature. The firing of Melissa McCoul came after political pressure from Republican lawmakers, including Gov. Greg Abbott. Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III said in a statement Tuesday he directed the campus provost to fire McCoul after she continued to teach content that was inconsistent with the published course description. McCoul’s attorney said the instructor has appealed her termination and “is exploring further legal action.”

A makeshift memorial for 11-year-old Julian Guzman, who was shot and killed during a doorbell prank, is shown Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston man charged with murder in shooting of 11-year-old boy after door knocking prank

September 2, 2025

Police say a Houston man has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy after a prank in which the child knocked on the door of a home and ran away. Authorities say 42-year-old Gonzalo Leon Jr. was taken into custody and booked into the Harris County Jail in Houston early Tuesday. Court records did not list an attorney for Leon who could comment. A cousin told investigators that they knocked on Leon’s door as a prank Saturday night. Commonly referred to as “ding dong ditching,” the prank involves fleeing before someone inside the home opens the door.

FILE - Crosses are surrounded by flowers and other mementos at a memorial, June 9, 2022, for the victims of a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Uvalde school didn’t release most of its shooting-related documents but says it was a mistake

August 27, 2025

The Uvalde school district released only a small fraction of the documents it said would be made public related to the 2022 Robb Elementary School massacre. District officials in the small Texas town said this week it’s an honest mistake they’re fixing. The Uvalde school district released thousands of pages earlier this month following years of litigation to withhold documents connected to one of the deadliest classroom attacks in U.S. history. The existence of still more unreleased material was revealed during a meeting Monday. About 26,000 more pages of documents and 8,600 more emails are set to be released over the next seven days.

Jennifer Vasquez Sura, front left, and her husband Kilmar Abrego Garcia, front center, attend a protest rally at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, to support Kilmar Abrego Garcia. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

What to know about Trump deportation policies that could send Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda

August 25, 2025

Efforts by U.S. immigration officials to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda, a country to which the Salvadoran national has no ties, has again focused attention third-country deportations. The Trump administration has recently entered into agreements with various nations around to world to deport immigrants to countries other than their own. These third-country agreements have been contested in court by immigrant rights groups, who have argued the migrants’ due process rights are being violated. In June, a divided Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to restart the swift removal of migrants to countries other than their homelands and with minimal notice.

FILE - Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, speaks during a hearing of the Homeland Security Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations on Capitol Hill, April 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Judge dismisses 2 counts against US Rep. Cuellar of Texas, moves bribery trial to next year

August 14, 2025

A judge has granted a request by federal prosecutors to dismiss two of the 14 counts that U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife face. The chargers are part of a federal bribery and conspiracy indictment. U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal also ordered that the couple’s trial now be scheduled for April 6. It had been set for Sept. 22. The judge agreed to dismiss two counts that the couple had each faced related to violating the prohibition on public officials acting as agents of a foreign principal. The Cuellars each still face 12 charges, including conspiracy, bribery and money laundering.

FILE - Flaco Jimenez performs during the Americana Music Honors and Awards show Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski, File)

Flaco Jimenez, Texas accordionist who expanded popularity of conjunto and Tejano music, dies at 86

August 1, 2025

Flaco Jimenez, the legendary accordionist from San Antonio who won multiple Grammys and helped expand the popularity of conjunto, Tejano and Tex-Mex music, has died. He was 86. Jimenez’s death was announced Thursday evening by his family on social media. His family said he was “surrounded by his loved ones and will be missed immensely.” His family did not disclose a cause of death. Jimenez had been hospitalized in January. His career achievements included five Grammys and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He helped popularize conjunto music, which originated in South Texas and blends different genres and cultural influences.

FILE - Reggie Daniels pays his respects a memorial at Robb Elementary School, Thursday, June 9, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas, created to honor the victims killed in the recent school shooting. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, file)

Texas county votes to release Uvalde school shooting records, ending legal battle

July 28, 2025

Leaders of the county where 19 students and two teachers were killed in the 2022 shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, have voted to release records related to the massacre. Monday’s 2-1 vote by Uvalde County commissioners ends a yearslong lawsuit filed by media organizations over disclosure of information from the shooting at Robb Elementary School. The decision by commissioners came a week after the Uvalde district’s school board voted to release its records in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. Both the county and the school district have not said when the records will be made public.

FILE - Texas lawmakers meet with Robert Roberson at a prison in Livingston, Texas, Sept. 27, 2024. (Criminal Justice Reform Caucus via AP, File)

New execution date set for Texas man Robert Roberson in shaken baby syndrome case

July 16, 2025

A judge has set a new execution date for a Texas man who had been set last year to become the first person in the U.S. to be put to death for a murder conviction tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. During a court hearing Wednesday in Palestine, Texas, state District Judge Austin Reeve Jackson set an Oct. 16 execution date for Robert Roberson. The new date had been requested by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. Roberson’s lawyers objected, arguing Roberson still has an appeal pending before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Roberson had faced execution last October but got a stay after a flurry of last-ditch legal challenges.

Candles, flowers, and notes are placed at a makeshift memorial in San Antonio, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, for voice actor Jonathan Joss who was recently killed. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

What to know about fatal shooting of ‘King of the Hill’ actor Jonathan Joss as co-stars pay tribute

June 6, 2025

It remains unclear what prompted the fatal shooting of Jonathan Joss. But police say they are looking into whether his sexual orientation played any role in his death. The Native American voice actor is best known for his work on the animated television series “King of the Hill.” Joss’ husband has claimed the person arrested for the shooting yelled “violent homophobic slurs” before opening fire. San Antonio police initially said they had found no evidence indicating the killing was related to Joss’ sexual orientation. On Thursday, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus walked back that statement, saying whether Joss’ sexual orientation is tied to his death is still being investigated.

Police consider whether ‘King of the Hill’ actor’s sexual orientation played a role in his killing

June 5, 2025

Authorities in Texas say investigators are looking into whether the sexual orientation of “King of the Hill” voice actor Jonathan Joss played a role in his shooting death. Joss’ husband has claimed the person who killed the actor yelled “violent homophobic slurs” before opening fire outside his home in San Antonio on Sunday night. A day after the shooting, San Antonio police issued a statement saying they had found “no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr. Joss’ murder was related to his sexual orientation.” But during a news conference Thursday, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus walked back that previous statement.

‘King of the Hill’ voice actor Jonathan Joss fatally shot outside his Texas home

June 3, 2025

Authorities say a voice actor best known for his work on the animated television series “King of the Hill” was fatally shot near his Texas home. San Antonio police said Monday that Jonathan Joss was found about 7 p.m. the previous night on the street near his home after having been shot. He died at the scene. Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, says in a statement the couple had been at Joss’ home checking mail when a man yelled homophobic slurs at them before opening fire. The home had been damaged in a January fire. Police have arrested Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez and charged him with murder in the fatal shooting.

FILE - Dr. Steven Hotze, president of Conservative Republicans of Texas, speaks at a Restrain the Judges news conference, while Janet Porter of Faith2Action listens at right, in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, April 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Charges dropped against conservative activist in Texas over false voter fraud claim

May 20, 2025

Texas prosecutors have dropped charges against a prominent conservative activist in Houston related to allegations he was part of what authorities have called a baseless voter fraud conspiracy theory. Dr. Steven Hotze had been facing four charges related to allegedly helping plan an assault against an air conditioner repairman in October 2020. The man was run off the road and held at gunpoint over false claims he was holding fraudulent voter ballots. On Tuesday, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office dropped all four counts against Hotze. Jared Woodfill, Hotze’s attorney, said he was surprised but pleased by the dismissal of the charges. A former Houston police officer accused of running the repairman off the road is still facing two charges in the case.

Juan A. Lozano.