The state of Missouri on Tuesday executed Brian Dorsey for the 2006 murders of his cousin, Sarah Bonnie, and her husband, Benjamin Bonnie, after an effort to have his life spared failed in recent days.

Dorsey’s time of death was recorded as 6:11 p.m, the Missouri Department of Corrections said in a news release. The method of execution was lethal injection, Karen Pojmann, a spokesperson for the department, said at a news conference, adding it “went smoothly, no problems.”

The execution of Dorsey, 52, occurred hours after the US Supreme Court declined to intervene and about a day after Missouri’s Republican governor denied clemency, rejecting the inmate’s petition – backed by more than 70 correctional officers and others – for a commutation of his sentence to life in prison.

Dorsey and his attorneys cited his remorse, his rehabilitation while behind bars and his representation at trial by attorneys who allegedly had a “financial conflict of interest” as reasons he should not be put to death. But those arguments were insufficient to convince Gov. Mike Parson, who said in a statement carrying out Dorsey’s sentence “would deliver justice and provide closure.”

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      They generally do so when they’re older than the people who get executed for the same accused crime. Meaning there’s a chance they’ll have a life outside of prison if they’re innocent.

      Again, you can’t unkill someone. You can, however, not intentionally kill them.

      • sepulcher@lemmy.ca
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        7 months ago

        Meaning there’s a chance they’ll have a life outside of prison if they’re innocent.

        Yeah, but what about those who don’t get that chance?

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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              7 months ago

              You really don’t understand the difference between an innocent person potentially dying in prison and an innocent person definitely dying in prison?

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                  7 months ago

                  Again- potential vs. definite. Why is potential just as bad as definite to you?

                  There’s the potential you will get hit by a car every time you walk down the street. Isn’t that potential better than someone intentionally driving into you?

                  • sepulcher@lemmy.ca
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                    7 months ago

                    Because either way an innocent person is losing their life because of the state.

                    I just wanted you to admit that it’s acceptable to imprison potentially innocent people for life but it’s not okay to execute them, which you did.