Formerly Convicted Woman Joins Fight Against Death Penalty

A St. Louis area woman who served more than 16 years in prison for murder and then had her conviction overturned is now part of the effort to abolish the death penalty. Ellen Reasonover was convicted of the 1983 murder of a gas station attendant in St. Louis County and was sentenced to life in prison. After Reasonover had served more than 16 years, a federal judge overturned the conviction, saying the case against Reasonover was “fundamentally unfair.” Now, Reasonover fights the death penalty, taking a message to state lawmakers – the death penalty is inhumane, cruel, and wicked. Reasonover says she has always opposed the death penalty – even before she was sent to prison. Reasonover maintains her innocence. The Attorney General’s Office opted not to appeal the decision.