The Missouri Supreme Court will hear arguments today from a man sentenced to death, who with his girlfriend brutally raped, tortured, and killed two women and videotaped the attacks.
Richard Davis was convicted of first-degree murder and multiple counts of assault, rape, and sodomy, for the May 2006 attack on Marsha Spicer of Independence. His then girlfriend, Dena Riley, is serving life without parole after taking a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. Both also pleaded guilty to a similar attack on Michelle Huff-Ricci of Kansas City. The attacks of both women were videotaped.
Davis claims his attorneys were ineffective to the point of violating his constitutional rights. He says a psychiatrist should have been called to testify about him having bipolar disorder, and having been prescribed a psychotropic medication that should have been taken with a mood stabilizer. He also says a psychologist should have testified about abuse he suffered as a child. He’s asking the court to throw out his death sentence and give him a new trial or penalty phase.
The Court has previously upheld his death sentence. Riley is serving life in the state prison at Chillicothe.
Once the court hears those arguments, it could consider the case for any length of time before issuing a decision.
