List of individuals executed in Missouri
Encyclopedia
A total of 68 individuals convicted of murder have been executed by the state of Missouri
since 1976. All were by executed by lethal injection
. All executions in Missouri were suspended between June 26, 2006, and June 4, 2007, due to a federal court ruling (see below). Executions resumed on May 20, 2009.
in Jefferson City, Missouri
on January 6, 1989. The next 61 executions starting with Gerald Smith were done at the Potosi Correctional Center
in Potosi, Missouri
. Since 2005, executions have been 25 miles east of Potosi at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center
in Bonne Terre, Missouri
. The first execution at Bonne Terre was #63 Donald Jones. All Missouri prisons (Correctional Centers) hold "Death Row" inmates. Missouri does not have a "Death Row". They have a specific inmate numbering system. Inmates convicted of a Capitol Crime have numbers starting with either CC or 99. It is possible to have a CC inmate in a level 3 facility.
Typically they will read the death warrant to them (handed down form the Missouri Supreme Court) 30 days prior to the date. At this point they are moved to protective custody or remain in solitary isolation. One week prior to the date they are moved the medical confine unit. This is to ensure that the inmates interaction with other inmates and visitors are closely monitored. There is no contact allowed with the condemned inmate at this time. Three days prior a medicinal regiment is started. Anxiolytics are started, the inmates religious instructor, and legal services are the ones allowed to see the inmate. The last 24 hours, the inmate chooses their final meal. they are medicated for anxiety as needed. The viewing gallery is set up. One hour before the time, the inmate is offered last rites. Ten minutes before the time, the inmate is wheeled into the chamber, in a wheelchair or they may walk. At this point the doctors will place two central lines. Then the three doctors will exit to a room behind the chamber. During this time the witnesses have been led in. The victims from one side of the unit and the inmates from the other side. When ready they will open the curtains. At this point the inmate will be read the warrant again, and asked for any last statements. The superintendent is present and will give the order shortly after midnight. At this point the three doctors will simultaneously push a button to start the machine to begin the process. After a doctor pronounces the inmate as expired, the curtains are closed. The witnesses are then escorted out of the facility, then the coroner will come retrieve the body as the room is classified as a crime scene. The death certificate will say "cause of death: Homicide-legal:___________ (the space is for the warrant number. At this point the investigation is complete and the body is removed. once the body has left the facility, they will announce over the radio that the "new inmate count is__, begin count." Each house will conduct a count, there will be no change except now medical will say they have 0 inmates. The command will confirm the count then order the "E squad" to stand down.
in Kansas City
suspended Missouri's death penalty after lengthy hearings on the matter. Judge Gaitan reasoned that the state's lethal injection protocol did not satisfy the Eighth Amendment
because (1) the written procedures for implementing lethal injections were too vague, and (2) the state had no qualified anesthesiologist to perform lethal injections. Jay Nixon, the Missouri Attorney General, promptly appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
in St. Louis
.
The Eighth Circuit held oral argument in the case on January 10, 2007, and a decision was released on June 4, 2007. The case is number 06-3651, Taylor v. Crawford. The Court reversed the decision of the district court and vacated the injunction, allowing for the death penalty to resume. The court found:
The first execution since Gaitan's ruling was on May 20, 2009. This suspension was partly due to a national de facto moratorium while the Supreme Court of the United States
decided Baze v. Rees
. The court set the first Missouri post-Baze execution date in June 2008. For various reasons no executions were conducted until May 20, 2009
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
since 1976. All were by executed by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
. All executions in Missouri were suspended between June 26, 2006, and June 4, 2007, due to a federal court ruling (see below). Executions resumed on May 20, 2009.
History
The first person executed in the modern era was George Mercer who was executed at the Missouri State PenitentiaryMissouri State Penitentiary
The Missouri State Penitentiary, also known as "The Walls", was a prison in Jefferson City, Missouri that operated from 1836-2004. It was a prison of the Missouri Department of Corrections. Before its closure it was named the Jefferson City Correctional Center . Before its closure it was the oldest...
in Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...
on January 6, 1989. The next 61 executions starting with Gerald Smith were done at the Potosi Correctional Center
Potosi Correctional Center
Potosi Correctional Center is a Missouri Department of Corrections prison located in unincorporated Washington County, Missouri, near Potosi. The facility currently houses 800 capital punishment, maximum security and high-risk male inmates....
in Potosi, Missouri
Potosi, Missouri
Potosi is a city in Washington County, Missouri, United States. Potosi is about 10 miles north of Belgrade. The estimated population in July 2008 was 2,698. It was 2,662 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Washington County...
. Since 2005, executions have been 25 miles east of Potosi at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center
Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center
The Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center is a 2,684-bed prison located northeast of Bonne Terre, Missouri.The ERDCC serves as the point of admission for male offenders committed by the courts in eastern Missouri to the Missouri Department of Corrections...
in Bonne Terre, Missouri
Bonne Terre, Missouri
Bonne Terre is a city in St. Francois County, Missouri, United States. The population was estimated in 2008 as 6,854. It was 4,039 at the 2000 census. The community was originally settled by the French in 1720 after lead ore was discovered...
. The first execution at Bonne Terre was #63 Donald Jones. All Missouri prisons (Correctional Centers) hold "Death Row" inmates. Missouri does not have a "Death Row". They have a specific inmate numbering system. Inmates convicted of a Capitol Crime have numbers starting with either CC or 99. It is possible to have a CC inmate in a level 3 facility.
Typically they will read the death warrant to them (handed down form the Missouri Supreme Court) 30 days prior to the date. At this point they are moved to protective custody or remain in solitary isolation. One week prior to the date they are moved the medical confine unit. This is to ensure that the inmates interaction with other inmates and visitors are closely monitored. There is no contact allowed with the condemned inmate at this time. Three days prior a medicinal regiment is started. Anxiolytics are started, the inmates religious instructor, and legal services are the ones allowed to see the inmate. The last 24 hours, the inmate chooses their final meal. they are medicated for anxiety as needed. The viewing gallery is set up. One hour before the time, the inmate is offered last rites. Ten minutes before the time, the inmate is wheeled into the chamber, in a wheelchair or they may walk. At this point the doctors will place two central lines. Then the three doctors will exit to a room behind the chamber. During this time the witnesses have been led in. The victims from one side of the unit and the inmates from the other side. When ready they will open the curtains. At this point the inmate will be read the warrant again, and asked for any last statements. The superintendent is present and will give the order shortly after midnight. At this point the three doctors will simultaneously push a button to start the machine to begin the process. After a doctor pronounces the inmate as expired, the curtains are closed. The witnesses are then escorted out of the facility, then the coroner will come retrieve the body as the room is classified as a crime scene. The death certificate will say "cause of death: Homicide-legal:___________ (the space is for the warrant number. At this point the investigation is complete and the body is removed. once the body has left the facility, they will announce over the radio that the "new inmate count is__, begin count." Each house will conduct a count, there will be no change except now medical will say they have 0 inmates. The command will confirm the count then order the "E squad" to stand down.
List
| Executed person | Date of execution | Victim(s) | Presiding governor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Mercer George Mercer George C. "Tiny" Mercer was convicted of the rape and murder of 22 year old Karen Keeton in Belton, Missouri, United States, on August 31, 1978. At the time of the murder, Mercer had a charge pending against him of raping a 17 year old girl. He was executed at the age of 44 by the state of... |
January 6, 1989 | Karen Keeton | John Ashcroft John Ashcroft John David Ashcroft is a United States politician who served as the 79th United States Attorney General, from 2001 until 2005, appointed by President George W. Bush. Ashcroft previously served as the 50th Governor of Missouri and a U.S... |
| 2 | Gerald Smith | January 18, 1990 | Karen Roberts | John Ashcroft |
| 3 | Winford L. Stokes, Jr. | May 17, 1990 | Pamela Brenda | John Ashcroft |
| 4 | Leonard Marvin Laws | May 17, 1990 | John Seward | John Ashcroft |
| 5 | George Clifton Gilmore | August 21, 1990 | Mary Luella Watters | John Ashcroft |
| 6 | Maurice Oscar Byrd | August 23, 1991 | Judy Cazaco, James Wood, Edna Ince, and Carolyn Turner | John Ashcroft |
| 7 | Ricky Lee Grubs | October 21, 1992 | Jerry Thornton | John Ashcroft |
| 8 | Martsay Bolder | January 27, 1993 | Theron King | Mel Carnahan Mel Carnahan Melvin Eugene "Mel" Carnahan was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as the 51st Governor of Missouri from 1993 to 2000. He died in a plane crash on the Pevely and Hillsboro, Missouri border during a campaign for the U.S... |
| 9 | Walter Junior Blair | July 21, 1993 | Kathy Jo Allen | Mel Carnahan |
| 10 | Frederick Lasley | July 28, 1993 | Janie Tracy | Mel Carnahan |
| 11 | Frank Joseph Guinan | October 6, 1993 | John McBroom | Mel Carnahan |
| 12 | Emmitt Foster | May 3, 1995 | Travis Walker | Mel Carnahan |
| 13 | Larry Griffin Larry Griffin For the football player of the same name see Larry Griffin .Larry Griffin was sentenced to death for the murder of 19-year-old Quintin Moss. The crime occurred in St... |
June 21, 1995 | Quintin Moss | Mel Carnahan |
| 14 | Robert Anthony Murray | July 26, 1995 | Jeffrey Jackson and Craig Stewart | Mel Carnahan |
| 15 | Robert T. Sidebottom | November 15, 1995 | Mary Sidebottom. | Mel Carnaha |
| 16 | Anthony Joe Larette | November 29, 1995 | Mary Fleming | Mel Carnahan |
| 17 | Robert Earl O'Neal | December 6, 1995 | Arthur Dale. | Mel Carnahan |
| 18 | Jeffrey Paul Sloan | February 21, 1996 | Jason Sloan | Mel Carnahan |
| 19 | Doyle James Williams | April 10, 1996 | A. H. Domann | Mel Carnahan |
| 20 | Emmett Clifton Nave | July 31, 1996 | Geneva Roling | Mel Carnahan |
| 21 | Thomas Henry Battle | August 7, 1996 | Birdie Johnson | Mel Carnahan |
| 22 | Richard Oxford | August 21, 1996 | Harold Wampler and Melba Wampler | Mel Carnahan |
| 23 | Richard Steven Zeitvogel | December 11, 1996 | Gary Wayne Dew | Mel Carnahan |
| 24 | Eric Adam Schneider | January 29, 1997 | Richard Schwendeman and Ronald Thompson | Mel Carnahan |
| 25 | Ralph Cecil Feltrop | August 6, 1997 | Barbara Ann Roam | Mel Carnahan |
| 26 | Donald Edward Reese | August 13, 1997 | James Watson, Christopher Griffith, John Buford, and Don Vanderlinden | Mel Carnahan |
| 27 | Andrew Wessel Six | August 20, 1997 | Kathy Allen | Mel Carnahan |
| 28 | Samuel Lee McDonald, Jr. | September 24, 1997 | Robert Jordan | Mel Carnahan |
| 29 | Alan Jeffrey Bannister | October 24, 1997 | Darrell Ruestman | Mel Carnahan |
| 30 | Reginald Love Powell | February 25, 1998 | Freddie Miller and Arthur Miller | Mel Carnahan |
| 31 | Milton Vincent Griffin-El | March 25, 1998 | Jerome Redden | Mel Carnahan |
| 32 | Glennon Paul Sweet | April 22, 1998 | Russell Harper | Mel Carnahan |
| 33 | Kelvin Shelby Malone | January 13, 1999 | William Parr (he was also sentenced to death by the state of California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... ) |
Mel Carnahan |
| 34 | James Edward Rodden, Jr. | February 24, 1999 | Terry Trunnel and Joseph Arnold | Mel Carnahan |
| 35 | Roy Michael Roberts | March 10, 1999 | Tom Jackson | Mel Carnahan |
| 36 | Roy Ramsey, Jr. | April 14, 1999 | Garnett Ledford and Betty Ledford | Mel Carnahan |
| 37 | Ralph E. Davis | April 28, 1999 | Susan Davis | Mel Carnahan |
| 38 | Jessie Lee Wise | May 26, 1999 | Geraldine McDonald | Mel Carnahan |
| 39 | Bruce Kilgore | June 16, 1999 | Marilyn Wilkins | Mel Carnahan |
| 40 | Robert Allen Walls | June 30, 1999 | Fred Harmon | Mel Carnahan |
| 41 | David R. Leisure | September 1, 1999 | James A. Michaels, Sr | Mel Carnahan |
| 42 | James Henry Hampton | March 22, 2000 | Frances Keaton | Mel Carnahan |
| 43 | Bart Leroy Hunter | June 28, 2000 | Mildred Hodges and Richard Hodges | Mel Carnahan |
| 44 | Gary Lee Roll Gary Lee Roll Gary Lee Roll was executed by lethal injection in the state of Missouri. He was convicted of the murders of 3 members of the Sheper family in Cape Girardeau, Missouri during a robbery in 1992. Roll shot the mother and one son with his pistol and stabbed the other with a hunting knife... |
August 30, 2000 | Sherry Scheper, Randy Scheper and Curtis Scheper | Mel Carnahan |
| 45 | George Bernard Harris | September 13, 2000 | Stanley Willoughby | Mel Carnahan |
| 46 | James Wilson Chambers | November 15, 2000 | Jerry Lee Oestricker | Roger B. Wilson Roger B. Wilson Roger B. Wilson is an American politician who was the 52nd Governor of Missouri from October 16, 2000 to January 8, 2001. He is a Democrat.- Early Life and education :... |
| 47 | Stanley Dewaine Lingar | February 7, 2001 | Thomas Scott Allen | Bob Holden Bob Holden Robert Lee "Bob" Holden, Jr. is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 53rd Governor of Missouri.-Early life:... |
| 48 | Tomas Grant Ervin | March 28, 2001 | Mildred Hodges and Richard Hodges | Bob Holden |
| 49 | Mose Young, Jr. | April 25, 2001 | Kent Bicknese, James Schneider and Sol Marks | Bob Holden |
| 50 | Samuel D. Smith | May 23, 2001 | Marlin May | Bob Holden |
| 51 | Jerome Mallett | July 11, 2001 | James F. Froemsdorf | Bob Holden |
| 52 | Michael S. Roberts | October 3, 2001 | Mary L. Taylor | Bob Holden |
| 53 | Stephen K. Johns | October 24, 2001 | Donald Voepel | Bob Holden |
| 54 | James R. Johnson | January 9, 2002 | Deputy Sheriff Leslie B. Roark, Pam Jones, Sheriff Charles Smith, and Deputy Sheriff Sandra Wilson | Bob Holden |
| 55 | Michael I. Owsley | February 6, 2002 | Elvin Iverson | Bob Holden |
| 56 | Jeffrey Lane Tokar | March 6, 2002 | Johnny Douglass | Bob Holden |
| 57 | Paul W. Kreutzer | April 10, 2002 | Louise Hemphill | Bob Holden |
| 58 | Daniel Anthony Basile | August 14, 2002 | Elizabeth DeCaro | Bob Holden |
| 59 | William Robert Jones, Jr. | November 20, 2002 | Stanley Albert | Bob Holden |
| 60 | Kenneth Kenley | February 5, 2003 | Ronald Felts | Bob Holden |
| 61 | John Clayton Smith | October 29, 2003 | Brandie Kearnes and Wayne Hoewing | Bob Holden |
| 62 | Stanley L. Hall | March 16, 2005 | Barbara Jo Wood | Matt Blunt Matt Blunt Matthew Roy Blunt served as the 54th Governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2009. Before his election as governor, Blunt served ten years in the United States Navy, was elected to serve in the Missouri General Assembly in 1998 and as Missouri's Secretary of State in 2000.A Republican, Blunt was elected... |
| 63 | Donald Jones | April 27, 2005 | Dorothy Knuckles | Matt Blunt |
| 64 | Vernon Brown | May 17, 2005 | Janet Perkins (he was also under sentence of death in the murder of Synetta Ford) | Matt Blunt |
| 65 | Timothy Johnston | August 31, 2005 | Nancy Johnston | Matt Blunt |
| 66 | Marlin Gray Marlin Gray Marlin A. Gray was convicted of on two counts of first-degree murder and executed by the U.S. state of Missouri by lethal injection... |
October 26, 2005 | Julie Kerry and Robin Kerry | Matt Blunt |
| 67 | Dennis Skillicorn | May 20, 2009 | Richard Drummond | Jay Nixon Jay Nixon Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon, Sr. is the 55th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Missouri's Attorney General before his election in 2008.-Political career:... |
| 68 | Martin Link | February 9, 2011 | Elissa Self | Jay Nixon Jay Nixon Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon, Sr. is the 55th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Missouri's Attorney General before his election in 2008.-Political career:... |
Temporary suspension
On June 26, 2006, U.S. District Judge Fernando J. Gaitan, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Western District of MissouriUnited States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri is the federal judicial district encompassing 66 counties in the western half of the State of Missouri...
in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
suspended Missouri's death penalty after lengthy hearings on the matter. Judge Gaitan reasoned that the state's lethal injection protocol did not satisfy the Eighth Amendment
Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights which prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishments. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that this amendment's Cruel and Unusual...
because (1) the written procedures for implementing lethal injections were too vague, and (2) the state had no qualified anesthesiologist to perform lethal injections. Jay Nixon, the Missouri Attorney General, promptly appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Arkansas* Western District of Arkansas...
in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
The Eighth Circuit held oral argument in the case on January 10, 2007, and a decision was released on June 4, 2007. The case is number 06-3651, Taylor v. Crawford. The Court reversed the decision of the district court and vacated the injunction, allowing for the death penalty to resume. The court found:
- 1. Risk of accident in carrying out of execution protocol does not form basis for claim of cruel and unusual punishment in violation of Eighth Amendment; rather, inquiry on challenge to execution protocol is whether it inherently imposes constitutionally significant risk of pain.
- 2. State's lethal injection protocol, utilizing sodium pentothal (thiopental), pancuronium bromide and potassium chloride, did not involve substantial foreseeable risk of wanton infliction of pain, and thus did not have to mandate participation of anesthesiologist or additional monitoring equipment in order to comport with Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment; written protocol called for ample quantity of thiopental to cause unconsciousness, and mandated medical supervision by physician, emergency medical technician or nurse, including examination to confirm unconsciousness prior to third injection.
The first execution since Gaitan's ruling was on May 20, 2009. This suspension was partly due to a national de facto moratorium while the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
decided Baze v. Rees
Baze v. Rees
Baze v. Rees, 553 U.S. 35 , was a United States Supreme Court case. The court agreed to hear the appeal of two men, Ralph Baze and Thomas Bowling, who were sentenced to death in Kentucky. The men argue that executing them by lethal injection would violate the 8th Amendment prohibition of cruel and...
. The court set the first Missouri post-Baze execution date in June 2008. For various reasons no executions were conducted until May 20, 2009
External links
- Capital Punishment in Missouri (Missourinet)