Death Penalty Under Fire Again on Racial Grounds

A researcher at the University of Missouri argues the death penalty is badly flawed, stating where the trial is held and the race of the person on trail weighs too heavily in deciding who ends up on Missouri’s death row. Researcher Michael Lenza sees great disparity in death penalty cases in Missouri, especially among various circuit courts and between black and white suspects. For instance, in St. Louis County 37 percent of the black people convicted of killing a white person are sentenced to death. Overall, a black person convicted of killing a white person is five times more likely to face the death penalty in murder cases than a black killing a black. Lenza says the statistics undermine the credibility of the death penalty and devalue black citizens. The disparity among circuit courts, according to Lenza, is evident in cases before St. Louis City and St. Louis County. Though St. Louis City courts handle far more murder cases, they sentence about a third fewer convicted murderers to death.