Tagged: death penalty

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. He is on death row for the 1991 rape and murder of 20-year-old Julie Kerry and 19-year-old Robin Kerry.

After the hearing, the Missouri Supreme Court will decide whether to commute Clemons' death sentence and possibly require a new trial.

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.