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State And Federal Info

Missouri

History of the Death Penalty

The death penalty was first used in Missouri in 1810 when Peter Johnson was hanged for murder. Missouri carried out a total of 285 executions from 1810 to 1965. Hanging was the primary method of execution until 1936, when lethal gas came into use from 1937 until 1987. Starting in 1987, lethal injection was added as an option for inmates in addition to lethal gas.

Famous Cases

Roper v. Simmons (2005): Christopher Simmons was 17 years old when he and two other teenagers, broke into the home of Shirley Crook, kidnapped her, and pushed her off a bridge into the Meremac River. Simmons bragged about the murder to friends, and eventually confessed to police. He was convicted of the crime and sentenced to death. Simmons appealed the death sentence on the basis that he was only 17 years old at the time of the crime, and the execution of a juvenile was cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled in favor of Simmons, overturning his death sentence and sentencing him to life in prison without parole. The State of Missouri appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court ruled that execution of individuals who were under 18 at the time of their crime was unconstitutional. In its decision, the Court noted a “national consensus” against the practice of executing juvenile offenders; just 20 states allowed the juvenile death penalty by statute, and only 3 had executed a juvenile offender in the last 10 years.

Notable Exonerations

Joseph Amrine was serving time for robbery and burglary in Missouri State Penitentiary when he was accused of stabbing fellow inmate Gary Barber, in 1986. No physical evidence linked Amrine to the crime, and he was convicted primarily based on tesimony from other inmates and was sentenced to death. Amrine appealed his death sentence and the Missouri Surpreme Court found “clear and convincing evidence of actual innocence.” Three inmates who had previously testified recanted their statements, saying they lied in exchange for protection. Six other inmates testified to seeing Amrine playing cards at the time of the murder. The court ordered that Amrine be released within 30 days unless he was charged with another crime. Missouri prosecutor Bill Tackett brought new murder charges on Amrine, but dropped the charges a month later after DNA tests conducted on blood stains from the crime were inconclusive. Amrine was freed in August 2003.

Notable Commutations/Clemencies

Darrell Mease was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of his former drug partner, Lloyd Lawrence, Lawrence’s wife, and Lawrence’s grandson. He was scheduled to be executed in 1999. Pope John Paul II was visiting Missouri at the time and made a personal plea to Governor Carnahan to grant Mease mercy. The day before Mease’s execution, Governor Carnahan granted Mease clemency, commuting his sentence to life without parole.

Jasper County Courthouse.  Photo by Abe Ezekowitz.
Jasper County Courthouse. Photo by Abe Ezekowitz.

Resources

  • American Bar Association Missouri Death Penalty Assessment Report
  • Department of Corrections
  • Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
  • Missouri Office of Prosecution Services
  • Public defender’s office
  • Victims’ services
  • Missouri Death Row
  • 2015 Annual Report from Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

Missouri Execution Totals Since 1976

News & Developments


Juveniles

Jun 06, 2023

Jurors Who Sentenced Michael Tisius to Death Express Regret

Four jurors and two alter­nates from the 2010 tri­al of Michael Tisius have said in affi­davits that they would sup­port clemen­cy in his case. Mr. Tisius is sched­uled to be exe­cut­ed in Missouri on June 6, 2023. In his clemen­cy peti­tion, and in intervi…

Jurors Who Sentenced Michael Tisius to Death Express Regret

Human Rights

May 19, 2023

Missouri Clemency Petition Highlights Prisoner’s Extraordinary Artwork

UPDATE 2: On June 2, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit lift­ed the stay that had been imposed by the U.S. District Court, say­ing that the low­er court did not have juris­dic­tion to order the stay.UPDATE 1: On May 31, 2023,…

Missouri Clemency Petition Highlights Prisoner’s Extraordinary Artwork

Innocence

Feb 03, 2023

POSSIBLE INNOCENCE: New Evidence Regarding Missouri Man Facing Execution

Leonard Taylor (pic­tured) is a Missouri death-row pris­on­er who was con­vict­ed in 2008 of a quadru­ple mur­der that occurred in St. Louis in December 2004. His exe­cu­tion is sched­uled for February 7, 2023. Taylor has con­sis­tent­ly main­tained his innocen…

POSSIBLE INNOCENCE: New Evidence Regarding Missouri Man Facing Execution

Mental Illness

Dec 27, 2022

Missouri Set to Execute Amber McLaughlin on January 3 in First U.S. Execution of a Transgender Person

On January 3, 2023, Missouri is set to exe­cute Amber McLaughlin (pic­tured), the first trans­gen­der per­son sched­uled to be put to death in the United States. Tried as Scott McLaughlin, her jury reject­ed thr…

Missouri Set to Execute Amber McLaughlin on January 3 in First U.S. Execution of a Transgender Person

Public Opinion

Dec 06, 2022

Midterm Elections: Moratorium Supporters, Reform Prosecutors Post Gains Despite Massive Campaign Efforts to Tie Reformers to Surge in Violent Crime

In a year that fea­tured mas­sive cam­paign adver­tis­ing attempt­ing to por­tray legal reform­ers as respon­si­ble for increas­es in vio­lent crime, can­di­dates com­mit­ted to crim­i­nal legal reform or who promised to con­tin­ue statewide mora­to­ria on exe­cu­tions p…

Midterm Elections: Moratorium Supporters, Reform Prosecutors Post Gains Despite Massive Campaign Efforts to Tie Reformers to Surge in Violent Crime

Race

Nov 28, 2022

Missouri Executes Kevin Johnson Despite Special Prosecutor’s Call to Vacate Death Sentence

Despite a court-appoint­ed spe­cial prosecutor’s request to vacate his death sen­tence, Missouri exe­cut­ed death-row pris­on­er Kevin Johnson (pic­tured, with daugh­ter Khorry Ramey, left, and new­born grand­son) on Novembe…

Missouri Executes Kevin Johnson Despite Special Prosecutor’s Call to Vacate Death Sentence

Race

Oct 04, 2022

New Study Finds Significant Race-of-Victim Disparities in St. Louis County Death Sentencing

A study of more than 400 death-eli­gi­ble mur­der cas­es in St. Louis County, Missouri over a 27-year peri­od has found sig­nif­i­cant racial dis­par­i­ties in the county’s admin­is­tra­tion of the death penal­ty based upon the race of the victi…

New Study Finds Significant Race-of-Victim Disparities in St. Louis County Death Sentencing

Innocence

Aug 31, 2022

Missouri Governor Silent on Marcellus Williams’ Case 5 Years After Execution Halted for Board of Inquiry Innocence Review

Five years after for­mer Gov. Eric Greitens issued an exe­cu­tion-day reprieve for a Board of Inquiry to address ques­tions of inno­cence, Marcellus Williams remains on Missouri’s death row. Though the…

Missouri Governor Silent on Marcellus Williams’ Case 5 Years After Execution Halted for Board of Inquiry Innocence Review

Sentencing Alternatives

May 26, 2022

Judge Rejects Missouri’s First Jury Recommendation of Death in Nine Years, Says Mitigating Evidence Requires Life Sentence for Marvin Rice

A Missouri judge has reject­ed the state’s first jury rec­om­men­da­tion for a death sen­tence in nine years, and has instead re-sen­tenced for­mer death-row pris­on­er Marvin D. Rice (pic­tured) to life with­out parole. …

Judge Rejects Missouri’s First Jury Recommendation of Death in Nine Years, Says Mitigating Evidence Requires Life Sentence for Marvin Rice

Apr 29, 2022

Missouri Plans to Execute Prisoner Whose Death Sentence Was Reversed Three Times and Reinstated on a Technicality

Carman Deck (pic­tured) has been sen­tenced to death three times. Each of those death sen­tences were over­turned — once by the U.S. Supreme Court — as a result of prej­u­di­cial con­sti­tu­tion­al vio­la­tions in his tri­als. Nonetheless, he f…

Missouri Plans to Execute Prisoner Whose Death Sentence Was Reversed Three Times and Reinstated on a Technicality
View More

View Information by State

Additional Information


  • Death Penalty: Yes
  • Number of Executions Since 1976: 93 state executions, 3 federal executions
  • Number of Executions Before 1976 (may include federal and military executions): 285
  • Current Death Row Population: 18
  • Women on Death Row: 0
  • Number of Innocent Persons Freed From Death Row: 4
  • Number of Clemencies Granted: 5
  • Date of Reinstatement (following Furman v. Georgia): September 28, 1975
  • First Execution After Reinstatement: 1989
  • Location of Death Row: Mineral Point (Women: Fulton)
  • Location of Executions: Eastern Reception, Diagnostic, and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre
  • Capital: Jefferson City
  • Region: Midwest
  • Population: 6,154,913*
  • Murder Rate (per 100,000 population): 9.25
  • Is Life Without Parole an Option: Yes
  • Can a defendant get death for a felony in which s/he was not responsible for the murder?: No
  • Method of Execution: Choice of lethal injection or gas
  • How is Sentence Determined?: Jury
  • Clemency Process: Governor has authority to grant clemency with nonbinding advice of Board of Pardons and Paroles
  • Governor: Michael Parson

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