The Missouri Supreme Court has for the second time this year set an execution date for a man sentenced to death for hiring another man to murder his ex-wife 15 years ago.
Kimber Edwards (courtesy; Missouri Department of Corrections)
51-year-old Kimber Edwards is scheduled to die by lethal injection between 6 p.m. October 6 and 5:59 p.m. October 7 at the state prison in Bonne Terre. Earlier this year the Court had set his execution for May 12, but it later lifted that order. It did not explain that action, but his attorneys had asked for a stay on the grounds that both had other clients with pending court proceedings that would have conflicted with their being able to work on his case.
Edwards’ wife, Kimberly Cantrell, was fatally shot in the head in her University City apartment in August, 2000. Witnesses said Ortell Wilson had been knocking on her door prior to the shooting. Wilson told police Edwards had paid him to kill Cantrell and gave him a key to her apartment.
Wilson, who is now serving life in prison for the murder, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch earlier this year that he, alone, was responsible for the murder and that he had lied when he implicated Edwards.
Court documents say Edwards had been facing a felony charge for not paying a year’s worth of child support when Cantrell was shot. Prosecutors said he wanted his wife killed because of the ongoing child support dispute.
Missouri is set to next carry out the execution of Roderick Nunley for his role in the murder of 15-year-old Ann Harrison of Kansas City 26 years ago. His execution is scheduled for the 24-hour period beginning at 6 p.m. September 1.
