COLUMBIA – Leonard “Raheem” Taylor is about to be executed subsequent Tuesday. He was convicted of the quadruple homicide of his girlfriend and her three younger kids.
Again in December of 2004, Taylor’s girlfriend, Angela Rowe, and her three kids had been discovered shot to demise of their St. Louis space residence.
Advocates at a presentation on Tuesday, although, say new proof is displaying there’s an excessive amount of doubt to go ahead with the execution.
“We’re involved there is a sturdy risk he was wrongly convicted,” Jeff Stack, coordinator of the Mid Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation mentioned.
Stack mentioned Taylor was unable to afford his personal lawyer in the course of the case.
All through the trial, Taylor maintained his innocence, saying he was in California on the time the murders might have taken place.
Just lately, his daughter confirmed his testimony, saying he was in California on the time visiting her. She, her sister, and her mom submitted affidavits with the identical data.
The prosecutor’s case relied closely on a police interview with Taylor’s brother, Perry Taylor. Perry instructed police throughout a 3 hour interrogation that his brother had killed Rowe and her kids earlier than flying to California on November 26, 2004. He later recanted his assertion in the course of the trial, saying he was threatened and coerced into making that assertion.
A number of witnesses, together with a neighbor, Rowe’s sister, and two aunts of the youngsters additionally reported talking to Rowe within the week following November 26, whereas Taylor was reportedly in California.
“There are manner too many questions on this specific case for anybody to be comfy finishing up an execution,” Michelle Smith, co-director of Missourians to Abolish the Demise Penalty mentioned. “I do not imagine we should always have them interval, however for these individuals who do, we should always undoubtedly draw a line at questions on innocence and ensuring the particular person is definitely responsible.”
Taylor has maintained his innocence the previous 15 years he is been in jail. If the execution goes ahead, he would be the third particular person the state of Missouri has executed prior to now 10 weeks.