A Texas judge has decided to remove District Court Judge Natalia Cornelio from a high-profile death row case after she was accused of bias. This decision was made on Wednesday following a request from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. They wanted Judge Cornelio off the case of Ronald Lee Haskell, who was sentenced to death in 2019 for killing six members of his family.
Haskell’s crime took place in 2014 when he murdered his ex-wife’s sister, Katie Stay, and her husband, Stephen, along with their four children, aged four to 13. The horrific crime, described as a “massacre,” also left their 15-year-old daughter, Cassidy Stay, as the sole survivor. The motive was reportedly tied to Haskell’s obsession with his ex-wife, whom he had stalked.
The controversy surrounding Judge Cornelio began after she reportedly sent Haskell back to prison in an unusual manner. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office filed a motion to remove her in October, accusing her of showing favoritism toward Haskell. They claimed that she had stopped acting as an impartial judge and started supporting the death row inmate.
Court records show that on June 27, Judge Cornelio issued a bench warrant, ordering Haskell to appear in court a month later, at midnight. However, the District Attorney’s Office argued that this order was strange and unexplained. They said they were confused about why Haskell was being moved from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) custody under these unusual circumstances.
The DA’s Office believed that Cornelio’s actions indicated she was no longer neutral and had taken sides in the case. As a result, the Texas judge agreed to dismiss Cornelio from the case, ruling in favor of the DA’s request.
This decision follows a series of legal battles involving Haskell’s death row appeal. His case has drawn significant attention due to the gruesome nature of the crime and the ongoing debate over the death penalty. The move to remove Judge Cornelio is another chapter in this complex case, which continues to raise questions about fairness and the legal process.
