Anti-death penalty advocates gathered at the Missouri Capitol on Tuesday, urging Governor Mike Kehoe to stop the scheduled execution of Lance Shockley, convicted in the 2005 murder of a Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Shockley has maintained his innocence.
Missouri NAACP President Rod Chapel Jr. told Missourinet that he believes there is evidence that Governor Kehoe should allow to be presented to a board of review.
“Sometimes the courts aren’t perfect,” said Chapel Jr. “We’ve all seen instances of that, and we have two exonerees who were here with us today, who combined, spent nearly 50 years in prison. I think it’s important that we just take a breath and allow our executive branch to not grant grace in this particular instance, but to allow the time necessary for the truth to come out.”
Joe Amrine, whose death sentence was blocked, was at the rally and said he is against the execution because he was wrongly convicted.
“I spent 17 years on death row here in the state of Missouri,” said Amrine. “The 22 years I’ve been out, I’ve always spoke out against the death penalty, just something we should be got rid of. We’re not a barbaric country, you know. We’re not a in the third world countries. You know, we be in with China and you know, and Russia.”
Heidi Moore, Executive Director of Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty, told Missourinet that she believes Shockley’s case is based entirely on circumstantial evidence.
“His trial was marred with errors. The lawyer did not put up an adequate defense. In fact, they didn’t present any of Lance’s alibis. Then there was an issue with one of the jurors. The jury foreman, specifically who had written a book about vigilantly justice from a car accident, and he was involved through the finding of guilt and innocence.”
Lance Shockley was convicted of murdering Missouri State Trooper Carl Dewayne Graham Jr. in 2005.
Graham was investigating Shockley’s involvement in a fatal hit-and-run when he was shot and killed.
With the jury deadlocked on sentencing, a judge imposed the death penalty.
Shockley has maintained his innocence and is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on October 14 at the state prison in Bonne Terre, unless Gov. Mike Kehoe intervenes.
Missourinet is scheduled to witness Tuesday’s execution and will have more on the story.
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