Missouri’s use of the death penalty — a “consistent outlier” as use of capital punishment wanes across the country — has a direct tie to the state’s history of lynching, a new report says.
The report, “Compromised Justice,” says the state has applied the death penalty with discrimination, and that it is more than seven times more likely to be used when the homicide involves a white victim versus a Black victim.
Since 1972, 52 Black defendants who were charged with killing a white person have received death sentences, while just seven white defendants got the death penalty for killing a Black victim, according to the report.
Those numbers, as well as other studies, show that “whiteness is valued over non-whiteness,” said Tiana Herring, the report’s author and a data storyteller with the Death Penalty Information Center.
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“That’s a stark example of how we can kind of see similar influences in how we’re defining what justice looks like and who deserves to be prosecuted just based on the race of the victim alone,” Herring said.
Missouri is among a few non-Southern states with the highest number of “racial terror lynchings,” at 60, according to the Equal Justice Initiative.
The first documented lynching in U.S. history was said to be in 1836, when a white mob in St. Louis burned a 26-year-old free Black man named Frances McIntosh alive, according to “Discovering African American St. Louis: a Guide to Historic Sites.”
The killing of Frances McIntosh in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1836 is said to be the first documented report of lynching.
Herring said she found a direct tie from past racial acts of terror to modern-day death penalty numbers.
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“I often come across news articles or old books that talk about lynchings and death sentences in the same breath,” she said. “Those historical forces are really what makes it very clear to me that there is a connection between these two things.”
In 2023, Missouri executed four people, making it one of just five states to use the death penalty. The Missouri Supreme Court has scheduled another execution for April 2024.
Herring also describes the racial disparities in the state’s high homicide rate as “especially stark.” For the seventh year in a row, Missouri has had the highest Black homicide rate in the U.S., as Black residents are killed at more than twice the national rate, according to the Violence Policy Center.
“It seems that something’s not in balance and one of the purposes of the report is to at least draw attention to the fact that there may be some underlying subconscious issues at play here that predate all of us,” Herring said. “The legacies of violence and discrimination in the report may be ingrained in our systems more than we know.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A car chase ended Sunday in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, according to police.
Around 2:15 p.m., people downtown reported a large police presence at 19th and Main streets.
Police said a car chase ended at the intersection after the suspect struck other vehicles.
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Ryan Gamboa/KSHB 41
19th and Main
The suspect was taken into custody, per KCPD.
Due to the incident blocking the intersection, KC Streetcar service between Union Station and the River Market was temporarily suspended.
Braden Bates/KSHB 41
Streetcar alert
Streetcar service to downtown riders was restored before 4 p.m.
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A KC Streetcar Authority spokesperson confirmed the streetcar was not involved in the KCPD incident.
This is a developing news story and may be updated.
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 7, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from March 7 drawing
17-18-30-50-68, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 7 drawing
Midday: 3-3-7
Midday Wild: 4
Evening: 0-8-8
Evening Wild: 5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 7 drawing
Midday: 0-2-7-4
Midday Wild: 2
Evening: 3-4-2-0
Evening Wild: 5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Cash Pop numbers from March 7 drawing
Early Bird: 03
Morning: 10
Matinee: 15
Prime Time: 14
Night Owl: 08
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Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from March 7 drawing
05-06-21-23-28
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 7 drawing
21-34-46-53-56, Powerball: 23
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
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Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
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P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
A University of Missouri School of Medicine professor and researcher has received a $2.8 million grant to study infant kidney injury.
Adebowale Adebiyi received the grant from the National Institutes of Health to study a previously unrecognized contributor to acute kidney injury: voltage-gated sodium channels.
These proteins help move sodium molecules through cells, but Adebiyi’s research identified another function.
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“We found that during infant kidney injury, when blood flow is restricted, these sodium channels are overactivated in blood vessels,” Adebiyi said. “This triggers a cascade of events that causes the kidney’s small blood vessels to constrict, depriving the kidney of oxygenated blood when it’s most needed, and can lead to organ dysfunction or failure.”
This project will focus specifically on restoring healthy blood flow to infant kidneys, studying how nitric oxide works with specific sodium channels in blood vessels.
