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The execution of a death row inmate whose murder conviction has been doubted by the prosecutors that convicted him has sparked a wave of outrage across the US. Missouri Governor Mike Parson has been branded 'shameful' and 'racist' and the state and federal justice systems accused of being 'flawed' after Marcellus Williams was put to death by lethal injection on Tuesday. Williams, 55, was sentenced to death over the 1998 killing of Lisha Gayle, who was stabbed repeatedly during a burglary of her suburban St. Louis home. The St. Louis County prosecutor's office - which originally secured his conviction in...

The state of Missouri has executed Marcellus Williams despite concerns that the convicted murderer might have been innocent. Williams died by lethal injection shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday at Missouri state prison in Bonne Terre. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 2001 for the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, a social worker and former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter who was fatally stabbed during a daytime burglary. Republican Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Missouri's Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court all rejected last-minute attempts to halt the execution, ignoring clemency pleas from Williams' lawyers, prosecutors and members of the...

One week after he commuted the drunken driving sentence of former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson declined to offer specifics about his decision. In a statement to ESPN, the governor's office said, "No request, official or otherwise, was made on behalf of Mr. Reid for this commutation." A spokesperson for the office declined to comment beyond the statement. Reid, the son of Chiefs coach Andy Reid, served 16 months of a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to felony driving while intoxicated resulting in serious physical injury. According to prosecutors, Reid was driving about 84...

A Missouri judge ruled on Wednesday that Mark McCloskey — the St. Louis lawyer who pointed a gun at Black Lives Matter protesters marching near his front lawn in 2020 — will not get his guns or his money back despite receiving a pardon last year. McCloskey and his wife, Patricia McCloskey, pleaded guilty in July 2021 to misdemeanor charges for assault and harassment over the incident. The couple surrendered a Colt AR-15 rifle and a Bryco .380-caliber pistol as part of the plea agreement, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. However, after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) pardoned the...

‘HB 1878 is the most comprehensive election integrity bill to come out of the [Missouri] General Assembly,’ said bill sponsor Rep. John Simmons.The Missouri General Assembly successfully passed legislation on Wednesday that restricts state and local election officials from receiving and using private funds to conduct elections. The bill now heads to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk for signature. Passed by the state House (97-47) and Senate (23-11), the measure (HB 1878) mandates that “neither the state of Missouri nor any political subdivision thereof that conducts elections shall receive or expend private moneys, excluding in-kind donations, for preparing, administering, or conducting...

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) on Wednesday signaled his preparation to cave to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) effort to retain control of the House amid statewide redistricting. Parson’s communications director, Kelli Jones, tweeted a threatening message to the Republican-controlled legislature that is internally debating whether to give Pelosi an extra House district to flaunt in the midterms. Establishment state Republican senators have filibustered the GOP favorable maps since Tuesday.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) announced on Oct. 28 that he has issued an executive order to protect the individual rights of his state’s citizens against “overreaching” COVID-19 vaccine mandates from the Biden administration.“As the Governor of the State of Missouri, I stand with concerned Missourians and will do all I can to stop federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates,” Parson said in a statement.“When President Biden announced his initial plans to force unconstitutional vaccine mandates, we immediately began aligning state resources for legal action. While we hoped the Biden Administration would recognize these mandates as the abuse of authority that they...

45th President Donald Trump issued a statement congratulating Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, for having the courage to pardon U.S. Senate candidate Mark McCloskey and his wife. The McCloskeys gained national fame last year, when they used firearms to defend their home from a trespassing mob of Black Lives Matter protesters during the heat of the George Floyd-inspired riots that gripped America for much of 2020. “Congratulations to Governor Mike Parson of Missouri for having the courage to give Mr. and Mrs. Mark McCloskey a full pardon,” wrote President Donald Trump earlier today. “They were defending their property and...

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson says he is prepared to exercise his pardon powers if prosecutors bring criminal charges in the case of a St. Louis couple who brandished firearms at a group of protesters outside their home. Parson, a Republican, told a St. Louis radio station Friday that he thinks a pardon is “exactly what would happen” if Mark and Patricia McCloskey are hit with charges in the June 28 incident captured on video and seen by millions. He later added that based on what he knows about the case, “I don't think they're going to spend any time in...

St. Louis, MO has been the scene of violent protests over the past few weeks. In the most notorious case of violence related to the unrest, rioters murdered retired police captain David Dorn and ransacked his pawnshop. Dorn was black. His killers shot him multiple times. As “defund the police” gained traction in St. Louis and other cities, and cities all over the country lost hard-won ground to violent crime, Americans purchased firearms in record numbers. They are preparing to have to defend themselves. It was in this context, and the rising violence and abdication of public safety in St....

The governor of Missouri says President Trump has promised to "do everything he could within his powers" to shield a St. Louis couple who wielded guns at protesters in their gated community from prosecution, even as an attorney for the client says charges are imminent. Gov. Mike Parson said he spoke to Trump Tuesday and was reassured that the president-- who previously has retweeted a photo of the couple, Mark and Patricia McCloskey holding up guns in front of their house in the June 28 incident--"understands the situation in Missouri." "He understands the situation in St. Louis and how out...

The governor of Missouri says President Trump has promised to "do everything he could within his powers" to shield a St. Louis couple who wielded guns at protesters in their gated community from prosecution, even as an attorney for the client says charges are imminent. Gov. Mike Parson said he spoke to Trump Tuesday and was reassured that the president-- who previously has retweeted a photo of the couple, Mark and Patricia McCloskey holding up guns in front of their house in the June 28 incident--"understands the situation in Missouri." "He understands the situation in St. Louis and how out...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — As of June 16, Missouri will be “fully open for business” even though the coronavirus “is still out there,” Gov. Mike Parson announced Thursday. The second phase of Parson’s reopening plan means there will be no statewide health order — albeit, local officials will be able to enact more stringent rules or policies, as was the practice under the initial stage. The governor said all four “pillars” to reopening — expended testing, securing personal protective equipment (PPE), hospital capacity, and Missouri data — had been met during the extended initial phase.

Link only due to copyright issues: https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/politics/president-trump-tweets-endorsement-of-gov-parsons-2020-re-election-campaign/63-7abc6da7-1935-40b6-987d-e72479dfcbcb

FULL TITLE: Missouri Senate green-lights ANOTHER strict abortion bill as lawmakers follow Alabama's near-total ban with cutoff at eight weeks of pregnancy Missouri's Republican-led Senate has passed a wide-ranging bill to ban abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy, acting only hours after Alabama's governor signed a near-total abortion ban into law. The Missouri bill needs another vote of approval in the GOP-led House before it can go to Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who voiced support for an earlier version Wednesday. It includes exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for pregnancies caused by rape or incest. Doctors would face five to...

JEFFERSON CITY As Missouri Gov. Mike Parson gears up to run for his first full term next year, there are rumblings of rebellion on his right flank. Some conservatives in the state, frustrated by what they regard as Parson’s too-moderate agenda, would like to see the incumbent Republican draw a primary challenge. Others are still stinging from the downfall of former Gov. Eric Greitens, who Parson replaced last summer after an avalanche of scandals and criminal charges forced him to resign to avoid criminal prosecution and impeachment. For now, it’s highly unlikely Parson will face a real threat from within...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Mike Parson was sworn in as the 57th Governor of Missouri Friday afternoon, ending the tumultuous term of Eric Greitens, who resigned amid accusations of campaign impropriety and sexual misconduct involving a mistress. The oath was administered at 5:30 p.m. by Judge Mary Rhodes Russell in a private ceremony due to time constraints. Parson said he'll hold a public swearing-in at a later date. Parson, 62, was born and raised in Wheatland, Missouri and is a third-generation farmer. He spent six years in the US Army, serving two tours with the Military Police Corps, before returning...