A 75-year-old Missouri inmate who insists he did not kill his wife is clinging to hope that Gov. Mike Parson will heed his petition for clemency, despite three decades of unsuccessful legal efforts to secure his freedom. Kathy Middleton died ...

Tagged with: clemency Gov. Mike Parson Kathy Middleton Ken Middleton

A federal lawsuit demands that Gov. Jay Nixon recuse himself from clemency considerations for three death row inmates, saying he can't be trusted to be objective because he prosecuted the men as attorney general. Dennis J. Skillicorn and two others say Nixon, through his representation of the Missouri Department of Corrections, "intentionally obstructed federal court appointed counsel's access to evidence in support of clemency." Based on those allegations, the Missouri Supreme Court last year granted a stay of execution for Skillicorn, who had been scheduled to die Aug 27. However, the court on Monday issued a new execution date for Skillicorn - May 20.

Tagged with: 14th Amendment attorney general clemency death penalty Dennis J. Skillicorn Jay Nixon John Middleton recuse Russell E. Bucklew