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5h ago

Missouri Executes Lance Shockley in 2005 Trooper Murder Case

Appeals up to the U.S. Supreme Court failed within hours of the lethal injection.

FILE - Members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol salute the body of fellow officer Sgt. Carl ''Dewayne'' Graham Jr., after funeral services March 24, 2005, in Dexter, Mo. (AP Photo/Bill Boyce, File)
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Overview

  • Lance Shockley, 48, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. after a lethal injection at the state prison in Bonne Terre, according to corrections officials.
  • Gov. Mike Kehoe denied clemency the day before the execution, citing a unanimous murder conviction and years of state and federal court review.
  • Jurors convicted Shockley in 2009 but deadlocked on punishment, allowing a judge to impose a death sentence under Missouri law, a procedure also permitted in Indiana.
  • Defense lawyers said up to 16 pieces of evidence were never DNA-tested and argued the case was circumstantial, while prosecutors pointed to .243‑caliber ballistics links and a motive tied to a prior crash investigation.
  • The Eighth Circuit rejected Shockley’s bid to have his minister daughters serve as spiritual advisers, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay minutes before the execution, marking Missouri’s first execution of 2025.