Missouri has executed its first death row inmate of the year. Stanley Lingar was pronounced dead of a massive drug overdose at 12:06 Wednesday morning. Lingar was on death row for 14 years, 9 months, and 3 weeks for murdering a 16-year-old boy in Ripley County. Lingar kidnapped the young man, demanded that he perform a sexual act for him, and killed him when he failed to do so. Lingar, who died at the age of 37, shot his victim three times, beat him repeatedly with a tire iron, then ran over his body with his car. Gay advocates claimed his homosexuality was introduced during trial to bias the jury.
