As Missouri awaited Gov. Mike Kehoe’s decision on whether to halt the execution of death row inmate Lance Shockley, students at Saint Louis University joined Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty, the only statewide organization dedicated solely to ending capital punishment in Missouri, in calling for clemency and raising awareness about wrongful convictions.
Shockley was convicted in 2005 of killing Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Graham Jr. near Van Buren, Missouri. He has maintained his innocence for nearly two decades.
Advocates note that no physical evidence tied Shockley to the crime, and the request for DNA testing of 16 pieces of evidence has not been granted…