A federal appeals court panel has reinstated the death penalty for Richard D. Clay, who was convicted in a contract-murder case in southeast Missouri. A federal appeals court judge in Kansas City had ordered a new trial for Clay in 2001, saying the prosecution’s key witness had misled the jury. But the district court in St. Louis has overturned that ruling and has reinstated the death penalty. Clay originally was convicted in 1995 of killing New Madrid businessman Randy Martindale. Martindale’s wife, Stacy, is serving 15 years in prison.