The man sentenced to be executed next week by the State of Missouri says the execution should be put on hold until the role race played in his trial and sentencing can be reviewed.
Earl Ringo, Junior, is a 40-year-old African-American who was sentenced to death in 1998 for his part in the robbery of the Ruby Tuesday restaurant in Columbia that left two people dead. His attorney says Ringo was charged with the murder of two white victims by a white prosecutor, tried by a white judge, and sentenced to death by an all white jury.
His attorney asks Governor Jay Nixon to stay Ringo’s execution and appoint an independent board of inquiry to study the role race played in the case.
Ringo’s attorney also argues that the Supreme Court has never properly compared his case to others with similar circumstances to see if his sentence was proportional to judgments handed down in those.
Ringo is scheduled to die at 12:01 Wednesday morning by lethal injection.
A federal judge yesterday denied a stay of execution for Ringo, that was requested on the grounds that he was not adequately defended by his appointed counsel. That decision could be appealed.
