Sabrina Van Tassel’s “The State of Texas vs. Melissa” Acquired by Hulu

Women and Hollywood, April 15, 2021: Sabrina Van Tassel’s “The State of Texas vs. Melissa” Acquired by Hulu

“Sabrina Van Tassel’s portrait of the first Hispanic woman on death row is now streaming on Hulu. Variety confirms the platform picked up U.S. streaming rights to The State of Texas vs. Melissa, which follows Melissa Lucio as she makes her last appeal.

Lucio was convicted for the murder of her two-year-old daughter, who died of blunt head trauma, and has spent over a decade on death row. But The State of Texas vs. Melissa suggests that her sentencing was and is a major miscarriage of justice. Another one of her children told police that his sister had fallen down the stairs, and the DA who tried Lucio’s case, Armando Villalobos, has a history of bribery and corruption.”

Additional reading:

Pendance Film Festival, March 26, 2021: Watch Sabrina Van Tassel Q&A

Talkhouse, October 26, 2020: Following My Instincts: Documentarian Sabrina Van Tassel on the path that led her to her most significant project to date, the stirring The State of Texas vs. Melissa

Variety, April 24, 2020: Tribeca Fest Builds Momentum For Woman on Death Row With ‘The State of Texas vs. Melissa’