Missouri Supreme Court declines to halt execution of a man who killed 2 in 2006
9 months ago

Missouri Supreme Court declines to halt execution of a man who killed 2 in 2006

Associated Press  

The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to halt the execution of Brian Dorsey, who is scheduled to die next month for killing his cousin and her husband 18 years ago. Powell also wrote that the state Supreme Court previously turned aside Dorsey’s claim that his trial lawyer was ineffective, and he is barred from raising that claim again. “The Missouri Supreme Court’s refusal today to even consider the merits of the Brian’s Dorsey’s critical Sixth Amendment constitutional claim — that his lawyers pleaded their client guilty for no benefit, with the death penalty still on the table, without conducting any investigation, as a result of the low flat fee they were paid by the Missouri Public Defender System -- is yet another example of how our legal system has failed him,” Crane said in a statement. “We will appeal to the United States Supreme Court and ask that Governor Parson consider this injustice in our plea for mercy for Brian.” Dorsey is scheduled to die by injection at 6 p.m. April 9 at the state prison in Bonne Terre.

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History of this topic

Missouri executes man for 1998 murder of woman despite calls from victim's family to spare his life
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Missouri executes man for 1998 murder of woman despite calls from victim's family to spare his life

New Indian Express  

"No juror nor judge has ever found Williams' innocence claim to be credible," Parson said in a statement. "Tonight, Missouri lynched another innocent Black man," NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement. Parson and the state Supreme Court rejected his appeals in quick succession Monday, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene hours before he was put to …

Missouri Executes A Man For The 1998 Killing Of A Woman Despite Her Family’s Calls To Spare His Life
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Missouri Executes A Man For The 1998 Killing Of A Woman Despite Her Family’s Calls To Spare His Life

Huff Post  

FILE - This photo provided by the Missouri Department of Corrections shows Marcellus Williams. Last month, Gayle’s relatives gave their blessings to an agreement between the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney’s office and Williams’ attorneys to commute the sentence to life in prison. Questions about DNA evidence also led St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell to request a hearing challenging …

Missouri executes a man for the 1998 killing of a woman despite her family’s calls to spare his life
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Missouri executes a man for the 1998 killing of a woman despite her family’s calls to spare his life

Associated Press  

— A Missouri man convicted of breaking into a woman’s home and repeatedly stabbing her was executed Tuesday over the objections of the victim’s family and the prosecutor, who wanted the death sentence commuted to life in prison. Last month, Gayle’s relatives gave their blessings to an agreement between the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney’s office and Williams’ attorneys to …

Missouri Supreme Court and governor refuse to halt the execution of man convicted of 1998 killing
3 months ago

Missouri Supreme Court and governor refuse to halt the execution of man convicted of 1998 killing

Associated Press  

— A Missouri man seeking to avoid execution suffered dual setbacks Monday as the state’s top court and governor each rejected requests to cancel his scheduled lethal injection. The state Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, affirmed a lower court ruling rejecting Williams’ arguments. Parson said Williams received extensive legal opportunities to try to argue his innocence and accused Williams’ …

NAACP president urges Missouri governor to halt execution planned for next week
3 months ago

NAACP president urges Missouri governor to halt execution planned for next week

Associated Press  

Executing a Black man in Missouri who says he was wrongfully convicted would amount to a “horrible miscarriage of justice,” the president of the NAACP said in a letter Wednesday calling on the governor to halt the execution planned for next week. None of the physical evidence has linked Williams to the 1998 stabbing death of Lisha Gayle, according to …

South Carolina justices refuse to stop state’s first execution in 13 years
3 months, 1 week ago

South Carolina justices refuse to stop state’s first execution in 13 years

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stop the execution of Freddie Owens who is set to die by lethal injection next week in the state’s first execution in 13 years. That evidence, plus an argument that Owens’ death sentence was too harsh because a jury never conclusively determined he pulled the trigger on the …

Missouri judge rejects innocence claim of Marcellus Williams who faces execution
3 months, 1 week ago

Missouri judge rejects innocence claim of Marcellus Williams who faces execution

Associated Press  

ST. LOUIS — A judge declined Thursday to vacate the conviction and death sentence of Marcellus Williams, a Missouri man scheduled for execution later this month in the stabbing death of a woman in 1998, despite questions about DNA evidence on the knife used in the attack. St. Louis County Circuit Judge Bruce Hilton presided over an evidentiary hearing last …

Missouri Supreme Court blocks agreement that would have halted execution
4 months ago

Missouri Supreme Court blocks agreement that would have halted execution

Associated Press  

— The Missouri Supreme Court blocked an agreement that would spare the life of a man on death row. The ruling late Wednesday came hours after St. Louis County Circuit Judge Bruce Hilton approved a plan allowing Williams to enter a new no-contest plea to first-degree murder in the 1998 death of Lisha Gayle. Robin Maher, executive director of the …

Missouri man is free from prison after a judge overturned his 1991 conviction, despite AG’s efforts
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Missouri man is free from prison after a judge overturned his 1991 conviction, despite AG’s efforts

Associated Press  

ST. LOUIS — A Missouri man was freed from prison Tuesday after his murder conviction was overturned after 34 years behind bars, despite the state attorney general’s efforts to keep him there. It was torture.” Dunn’s release marks the second time in recent weeks that a person was freed from prison despite Bailey’s appeals to keep them in custody after …

Missouri judges have overturned 2 murder convictions in recent weeks. Why did the AG fight freedom?
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Missouri judges have overturned 2 murder convictions in recent weeks. Why did the AG fight freedom?

Associated Press  

ST. LOUIS — A man who was on the verge of walking out of prison this week after a judge found evidence of “actual innocence” and overturned his murder conviction now faces a fresh legal hurdle. The person blocking Christopher Dunn’s freedom is Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is fresh off an unsuccessful battle to keep another woman whose …

Missouri Supreme Court halts release of man with overturned conviction as he was about to go free
4 months, 4 weeks ago

Missouri Supreme Court halts release of man with overturned conviction as he was about to go free

Associated Press  

— The Missouri Supreme Court halted the immediate release Wednesday of a man whose murder conviction was overturned — just as the man was about to walk free. A St. Louis Circuit Court judge had ordered Christopher Dunn, now 52, to be released by 6 p.m. CDT Wednesday and threatened the prison warden with contempt if Dunn remained imprisoned. St. …

Missouri woman who served 43 years in prison is free after murder conviction was overturned
5 months ago

Missouri woman who served 43 years in prison is free after murder conviction was overturned

LA Times  

Sandra Hemme, center, meets with family and other supporters after she was released from prison Friday in Chillicothe, Mo. “I get that a lot.” The judge originally ruled on June 14 that Hemme’s attorneys had established “clear and convincing evidence” of “actual innocence” and overturned the conviction. “It shouldn’t be this hard to free an innocent person.” During a court …

Convicted double murderer to be executed in Missouri
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Convicted double murderer to be executed in Missouri

Hindustan Times  

A Missouri man convicted of murdering his cousin and her husband is to be executed in Missouri on Tuesday, despite widespread calls for his life to be spared. HT Image Brian Dorsey, 52, is to be put to death by lethal injection at 6:00 pm Central Time for the 2006 murders of Sarah Bonnie, 25, and her husband Ben Bonnie, …

Missouri executes Brian Dorsey for 2006 double murder after mercy bid backed by 72 correctional officers
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Missouri executes Brian Dorsey for 2006 double murder after mercy bid backed by 72 correctional officers

CNN  

CNN — The state of Missouri on Tuesday executed Brian Dorsey for the 2006 murders of his cousin, Sarah Bonnie, and her husband, Benjamin Bonnie, after an effort to have his life spared failed in recent days. The method of execution was lethal injection, Karen Pojmann, a spokesperson for the department, said at a news conference, adding it “went smoothly, …

Missouri to reduce risk of suffering if man requires surgical procedure at execution
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Missouri to reduce risk of suffering if man requires surgical procedure at execution

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Missouri governor denies clemency for man scheduled for execution on Tuesday
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Missouri governor denies clemency for man scheduled for execution on Tuesday

Associated Press  

ST. LOUIS — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Monday denied clemency for Brian Dorsey one day before the inmate’s scheduled execution for killing his cousin and her husband nearly two decades ago. The clemency petition included requests from 72 current and former corrections officers who vouched for Dorsey’s rehabilitation while behind bars, as well as support from a former Missouri …

Man put to death for 1993 killing of ex-girlfriend, Georgia’s first execution in years
9 months ago

Man put to death for 1993 killing of ex-girlfriend, Georgia’s first execution in years

Associated Press  

JACKSON, Ga. — A Georgia man convicted of the killing of his former girlfriend three decades ago was put to death Wednesday evening in the state’s first execution in more than four years. Pye’s lawyers filed late appeals urging the U.S. Supreme Court to step in, but the justices unanimously rejected to stop the execution. Pye’s lawyers had argued in …

Missouri prosecutor seeks to vacate murder conviction, the 2nd case challenged in 2 weeks
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Missouri prosecutor seeks to vacate murder conviction, the 2nd case challenged in 2 weeks

Associated Press  

ST. LOUIS — A Missouri prosecutor on Wednesday filed a motion to vacate the conviction of a man imprisoned for more than three decades for the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy, the second time in two weeks that a St. Louis-area prosecutor has challenged a longstanding murder conviction. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore said in a news release …

Alabama court says state can make second attempt to execute inmate whose lethal injection failed
11 months, 1 week ago

Alabama court says state can make second attempt to execute inmate whose lethal injection failed

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday rejected the appeal of a death row inmate who is scheduled to be the first person put to death with nitrogen gas and had argued that he shouldn’t face execution after a previous attempt at a lethal injection failed. Justices without dissent rejected arguments that a second attempt to execute Kenneth …

Execution date set for Missouri man who killed his cousin and her husband in 2006
1 year ago

Execution date set for Missouri man who killed his cousin and her husband in 2006

Associated Press  

ST. LOUIS — The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday set an April execution date for Brian Dorsey, a central Missouri man convicted of killing his cousin and her husband in 2006. Dorsey, formerly of Jefferson City, was convicted of killing his cousin, Sarah Bonnie, and her husband, Ben, on Dec. 23, 2006, at their home near New Bloomfield. Prosecutors said …

Federal appeals court halts Missouri execution, leading state to appeal
1 year, 4 months ago

Federal appeals court halts Missouri execution, leading state to appeal

Associated Press  

A federal appeals court panel has halted next month’s planned execution of a 45-year-old Missouri man convicted of killing a 6-year-old girl, though the state is appealing the ruling. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday voted 2-1 to stop the execution of Johnny Johnson, who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection next Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne …

US Supreme Court sides with Alabama inmate who seeks to die by nitrogen hypoxia
1 year, 7 months ago

US Supreme Court sides with Alabama inmate who seeks to die by nitrogen hypoxia

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sided with an Alabama death row inmate, who had his lethal injection called off at the last minute in November, and argues he should be put to death by nitrogen hypoxia when he is ultimately executed. The state argued the decision disregarded Supreme Court precedent that an inmate challenging an execution …

Lawyer: Missouri executed man with appeal still pending
1 year, 10 months ago

Lawyer: Missouri executed man with appeal still pending

Associated Press  

The attorney for a man who was executed this week is calling for an investigation, accusing Missouri officials of moving ahead with the lethal injection while federal appeals were pending. Mike Parson denied clemency, saying evidence showed that “Taylor committed these atrocities and a jury found him guilty.” The Missouri Supreme Court declined to grant a stay on Monday, and …

Missouri man who killed 4 executed despite innocence claims
1 year, 10 months ago

Missouri man who killed 4 executed despite innocence claims

Associated Press  

— A Missouri man convicted of killing his live-in girlfriend and her three young children was executed Tuesday despite his claims that he was in another state when the killings occurred. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, a Democrat, last week declined Taylor’s request for a hearing before a judge, stating the “facts are not there to support a …

Missouri governor denies clemency for man facing execution
1 year, 10 months ago

Missouri governor denies clemency for man facing execution

Associated Press  

ST. LOUIS — Missouri Gov. Johnson wrote that “evidence presented at trial does not support Mr. Taylor’s conviction.” Separately, nearly three dozen civil rights and religious groups asked St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell to reconsider his decision not to ask a judge for a new hearing on Taylor’s claim that he was not even in Missouri when the …

Missouri carries out first US execution of a transgender person
1 year, 11 months ago

Missouri carries out first US execution of a transgender person

Al Jazeera  

Amber McLaughlin, convicted of murder, was executed by lethal injection after being denied clemency. A Missouri inmate was put to death on Tuesday for a 2003 killing in what is believed to be the first execution of a transgender person in the United States. But McLaughlin’s sexual identity was “not the main focus” of the clemency request, her lawyer, Larry …

Missouri man put to death for killing police officer in 2005
2 years ago

Missouri man put to death for killing police officer in 2005

Associated Press  

— A Missouri man convicted of ambushing and killing a St. Louis area police officer he blamed in the death of his younger brother was executed Tuesday night. A court filing from the Missouri attorney general’s office said McEntee was in his car questioning three children when Johnson shot him through the open passenger-side window, striking the officer’s leg, head …

Judge denies Missouri prosecutor request to halt execution
2 years, 1 month ago

Judge denies Missouri prosecutor request to halt execution

Associated Press  

— A Missouri man who killed a police officer still faces execution later this month after a judge denied a special prosecutor’s request to halt the death sentence. McEntee and the law enforcement community.” Keenan’s court filing said former St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch’s office handled five cases involving the deaths of police officers during his 28 years in …

Man sentenced to death over jury’s wish seeks execution stay
2 years, 1 month ago

Man sentenced to death over jury’s wish seeks execution stay

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala — Lawyers on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the upcoming execution of an Alabama man who was sentenced to death over the jury’s wishes — a punishment he could not receive today since states no longer allow judicial override. Alabama in 2017 became the last state to abolish the practice of letting judges override a …

Condemned Missouri man asks Supreme Court to intervene
2 years, 1 month ago

Condemned Missouri man asks Supreme Court to intervene

Associated Press  

A Missouri man sentenced to death for killing a police officer in a fit of rage over his brother’s death is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution planned for later this month, in part because the man was a teenager at the time of the killing. Johnson saw officers arrive and awoke his 12-year-old brother, Joseph “Bam …

Judge dismisses lawsuit over upcoming lethal injection
2 years, 2 months ago

Judge dismisses lawsuit over upcoming lethal injection

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala — A federal judge dismissed an inmate’s claim seeking to block his upcoming execution in Alabama because of reported problems at a recent lethal injection. But U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. also warned Alabama’s prison commissioner to strictly follow established protocol when officials attempt to put Smith to death next month. Smith’s attorneys pointed to a …

Execution date set for Missouri man who shot police officer
2 years, 3 months ago

Execution date set for Missouri man who shot police officer

Associated Press  

The Missouri Supreme Court has set a Nov. 29 execution date for a man who shot and killed a suburban St. Louis police sergeant in 2005. The execution date comes despite opposition from the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which wants a special prosecutor to investigate whether Johnson’s conviction and death sentence resulted from racial bias. Then-St. Louis County …

Execution of Missouri man just the 5th in US this year
2 years, 7 months ago

Execution of Missouri man just the 5th in US this year

Associated Press  

A Missouri man who killed a couple during a robbery at their rural home more than a quarter of a century ago was put to death Tuesday, becoming just the fifth person executed in the United States this year. Please give love, show love, BE LOVE!” Parson, in a statement, said the couple killed, James and Zelma Long, “were innocent …

Supreme Court, governor decline to stop Missouri execution
2 years, 7 months ago

Supreme Court, governor decline to stop Missouri execution

Associated Press  

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to halt the upcoming execution of Missouri inmate Carman Deck, and Republican Gov. “The State of Missouri will carry out Mr. Deck’s sentence according to the Court’s order and deliver justice.” Deck’s attorney, Elizabeth Unger Carlyle, declined to comment. Deck, of the St. Louis area, admitted that he killed James Long, 69, and …

Tennessee inmate seeks execution halt over DNA evidence
2 years, 8 months ago

Tennessee inmate seeks execution halt over DNA evidence

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee death row inmate asked the state Supreme Court on Thursday to vacate his execution date so that an appeals court could review new evidence in his case. Earlier this month, Smith asked the Davidson County Criminal Court to reopen his case after a new type of DNA analysis found the DNA of an unknown person …

Execution set for man whose sentence was overturned 3 times
2 years, 10 months ago

Execution set for man whose sentence was overturned 3 times

Associated Press  

A Missouri man whose death sentence was overturned three times before being reinstated is now scheduled to die in May for killing a small-town couple nearly 26 years ago. The Missouri Supreme Court on Monday set a May 3 execution date for Carman Deck. After he was sentenced a second time, the U.S. Supreme Court tossed that sentence in 2005, …

Appeals court paves the way for 2 more Oklahoma executions
2 years, 10 months ago

Appeals court paves the way for 2 more Oklahoma executions

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal appeals court rejected a request from two Oklahoma death row inmates to temporarily halt their upcoming lethal injections. The two have argued that the state’s current three-drug lethal injection protocol that uses midazolam as the first drug will expose them to a constitutionally unacceptable risk of severe pain. The judge also determined that Grant and …

Federal court rejects Oklahoma death row inmates appeal
3 years, 1 month ago

Federal court rejects Oklahoma death row inmates appeal

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal by four Oklahoma inmates to stay their executions scheduled over the next three months, including a planned lethal injection next week that has drawn international attention. Jen Moreno, an attorney for the four death row inmates, called the ruling “inexplicable.” “We’re kind of in the process of figuring out …

Federal appeals court temporarily halts Oklahoma executions
3 years, 1 month ago

Federal appeals court temporarily halts Oklahoma executions

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal appeals court granted stays of execution on Wednesday for two Oklahoma inmates who were scheduled to receive lethal injections in the coming weeks. The panel wrote, “We find nothing in the relevant case law that specifically requires a prisoner to designate a method of execution to be used in his case by ‘checking a box’ …

Ernest Johnson: Missouri executes man after US Supreme Court denies request for a delay
3 years, 2 months ago

Ernest Johnson: Missouri executes man after US Supreme Court denies request for a delay

CNN  

Washington CNN — Missouri executed death row inmate Ernest Johnson on Tuesday after the US Supreme Court rejected a petition earlier in the day that had sought to delay it, citing an intellectual disability. But the Supreme Court’s denial mirrored the Missouri Supreme Court’s May opinion declining to stop his execution. Johnson’s claim that he is not competent to be …

Charleston church shooter making appellate arguments
3 years, 7 months ago

Charleston church shooter making appellate arguments

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The man on federal death row for the racist slayings of nine members of a Black South Carolina congregation is making his appellate argument that his conviction and death sentence should be overturned. In a lengthy brief, Roof’s attorneys argue that an appellate court should vacate Roof’s convictions and death sentence, or remand his case to court …

Absent media, Texas executes inmate who killed great aunt
3 years, 7 months ago

Absent media, Texas executes inmate who killed great aunt

Associated Press  

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A Texas man convicted of fatally beating his 83-year-old great aunt more than two decades ago was executed Wednesday evening without media witnesses present because prison agency officials neglected to notify reporters it was time to carry out the punishment. Quintin Jones received the lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville for the September 1999 killing …

Missouri Supreme Court: No new trial for Lamar Johnson
3 years, 9 months ago

Missouri Supreme Court: No new trial for Lamar Johnson

Associated Press  

— The effort to free Lamar Johnson, who has spent 26 years behind bars for a murder he says he didn’t commit, hit another roadblock Tuesday when the Missouri Supreme Court refused to grant a new trial. Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office argued successfully that Gardner lacked authority to seek a new trial so many years after the …

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