death penalty

Hearing continues in Clemons' death penalty case

The Associated Press — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 21:55:12 +0000

Missouri death row inmate Reginald Clemons says detective interrogators beat him so badly he admitted to raping two sisters who were pushed to their deaths from the old Chain of Rocks Bridge.

Clemons testified today at a special hearing that he confessed because he feared for his life.

Mo. Supreme Court will wait to set execution dates for six inmates

Rachel Lippmann and Maria Altman — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 19:13:35 +0000

Updated 6:03 p.m. with reaction

The Missouri Supreme Court will not set execution dates for six death row inmates until a court case over the state's new execution protocol is resolved.

Missouri's new execution drug: no silver bullet

Joseph Leahy — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:55:54 +0000

Missouri is the first state in the nation to change its protocol for executing prisoners from a three-drug cocktail to the single drug Propofol. The switch is due to a shortage of a key drug, which has stalled lethal injections across the country.

Other states may eventually follow Missouri’s lead, but as St. Louis Public Radio’s Joseph Leahy reports, the drug known recently for killing pop star Michael Jackson is no silver bullet either.

"I just thought it was a good idea"

Morning headlines: March 22, 2012

Julie Bierach, The Associated Press and Marshall Griffin — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:24:20 +0000

Gregg Williams apologizes

Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is apologizing to the NFL, to St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher, the Rams organization and football fans in general for running a bounty pool while he was in New Orleans.

Williams was suspended indefinitely on Wednesday by the NFL, and the Rams say he'll be eligible for reinstatement after the season.

Death penalty abolition bill before Mo. House committee

Marshall Griffin — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 02:44:20 +0000

A House committee heard testimony Wednesday evening on legislation that would abolish the death penalty in Missouri. The bill would also commute sentences of all current Death Row inmates to life without parole.

Several people testified in favor of the bill, including Kevin Green, a California man who spent 16 years in prison on charges that he raped his wife and killed their unborn baby. He was eventually exonerated after DNA evidence showed another man had committed the crime. Green says doing hard time in prison is a harsher punishment than being executed.