Missouri

Bipartisan effort in Missouri legislature seeks to end death penalty

Published

4 months ago

March 13, 2026

Bipartisan effort in Missouri legislature seeks to end death penalty

Steph Quinn
| Missouri Independent

There are 32 attorneys, investigators and specialists in the Missouri State Public Defender Office dedicated to preventing the wrongful execution of innocent people on death row.

The agency spends almost $3 million each year on salaries for these personnel, said Matthew Crowell, director of Missouri’s public defender system.

“We’re also using 16 of my best and most experienced attorneys to handle 11 cases out of 90,000,” Crowell said.

Guards, parole officers and other corrections staff also spend years of their working lives alongside Missourians who are sentenced to death — supervising them in the visiting room and locking them up for bad behavior.

And these staff “are still watching the state take the life of that person,” said Dr. Heidi Moore, executive director of Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty and a former institutional parole officer in Potosi Correctional Center.

As Missouri lawmakers this week once again consider a bill that would abolish the death penalty, religious leaders, advocates and a former lawmaker urged them to heed the financial and human costs of capital punishment in the state.

The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Jim Murphy of St. Louis County, would mandate a sentence of life imprisonment without parole for people convicted of first-degree murder or other serious crimes. It would not alter the sentences of Missourians already on death row.

Lawmakers have sponsored similar bills in each of the past five years. Murphy’s bill did not get a committee hearing last year.

Since 1973, at least 202 people nationwide have been exonerated after being sentenced to death, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. In Missouri, four people have been acquitted or had their charges dropped after receiving the death sentence since 1999.

“The state, frankly, makes mistakes,” Murphy told reporters.

But it was the experience of a victim’s family that led Murphy to change his position on the death penalty, he said.

During his first run for office eight years ago, he spoke with a man who witnessed the killing of his parents in their house as a child.

The man opposed the death penalty because the mandatory appeals process for capital sentences delayed closure for him and his family, Murphy said. Missouri law requires the state Supreme Court to review all death sentences, giving the court the choice of affirming the trial court’s sentence, re-sentencing or remanding the case to the lower court.

“The next 15 years, over and over and over again, he and his family were dragged back to court, appeal after appeal after appeal,” Murphy said.

The man told Murphy the state should do away with the death penalty.

“We can’t continue to relive this,” he told Murphy.

Financial and human costs

Two religious leaders testified in support of the bill, citing the sanctity of life and urging against irreversible punishment.

Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski of the Archdiocese of St. Louis described the death penalty as “an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the human person” and quoted Pope John Paul II, who during a 1999 trip to St. Louis urged the abolition of the death penalty and called on people to be “unconditionally pro-life.”

The death penalty, Rozanski said, also “deprives the offender of the opportunity of redemption.”

Advocates and members of the legal team for Lance Shockley — a man who was convicted in 2009 of murdering a Missouri State Highway patrolman, insisted on his innocence and was executed in October — argued last year that his work as a mentor to fellow inmates in Potosi should have qualified him to continue that role while incarcerated.

Republican state Rep. Barry Hovis of Whitewater said he was concerned that there would be no possibility of meaningful consequences for people sentenced to life without parole who might kill a fellow incarcerated person or guard.

“They’re not going to be able to get to double life without parole,” Hovis said.

Clifton Davis, representing Missouri Justice Coalition, told committee members that while he was an inmate in the state’s Department of Corrections, most of the men he met who had received death sentences were housed in the honor dorm as a reward for good behavior.

“Yes, men on death row violated the rules, like all of us violate the rules, but I don’t know a single case of a man on death row killing anyone,” Davis said. “I do know individuals who were not on death row that have killed other offenders while they were serving sentences that were parolable.”

The Rev. Brian Kaylor, a Baptist minister from Jefferson City, encouraged lawmakers to “do what’s best for the state.”

“What is actually justice?” Kaylor asked. “What is actually fiscally responsible? What is actually going to work?”

Crowell, of the state public defender’s office, told lawmakers that abolishing the death penalty would allow his agency to devote more resources to other cases and services that could keep people out of the criminal justice system.

“I’d be able to reassign the capital attorneys and staff to our many non-death penalty clients throughout the state and to recidivism-reducing programs,” Crowell said. “… Missourians would get far more value for their dollar.”

But Republican state Rep. Jim Kalberloh of Lowry City said victims’ families should be able to express to prosecutors if they want to pursue the death penalty.

While that’s ultimately the prosecutor’s choice, Crowell said, prosecutors often look to families’ wishes for guidance.

“That’s the way it should be,” Kalberloh said. “If they don’t want [the death penalty], then we ought not to do that. If they do want it, I don’t know that I want to take that choice away.”

Davis said what he hears from supporters of the death penalty is always, “what about the victims?”

“Well,” he said, “there’s a lot of things we could do to reduce victims.”

Prospects

The bill has bipartisan support that spans both legislative chambers.

Democratic state Rep. Steve Butz of St. Louis told reporters he supports Murphy’s bill, partly because of his experience of his sister’s murder 15 years ago.

Butz’s dad told prosecutors he didn’t want to pursue the death penalty.

“He said, ‘My faith says all life is sacred, even this murderer’s life,’” Butz said.

Republican state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman of Arnold told reporters that vengeance is not the same as justice. She is sponsoring a bill that would keep judges from deciding on the death penalty in cases when there is a hung jury.

“If we are a pro-life state, and I believe that we are,” Coleman said, “we need to be protecting even those who deserve it the least.”

This story was first published at missouriindependent.com.

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Missouri

Kehoe signs eight bills into Missouri law, including downtown development legislation

Published

3 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

Kehoe signs eight bills into Missouri law, including downtown development legislation

St. Louis could see major downtown renovation in the coming years helped by legislation signed into Missouri law by Gov. Mike Kehoe on Monday.

Kehoe signed a large economic development bill that includes incentivizing the conversion of vacant or underused properties into new housing.

For St. Louis, that could mean changes to the AT&T tower and Railway Exchange building.

Through the legislation, cities could apply for an area to become a Missouri innovation zone and be able to use incentives distributed by the state Department of Economic Development.

Cities must include proposed district boundaries, identify vacant and underutilized properties as well as provide projections of anticipated housing and employment growth in their application. Cities may only establish one of those districts.

Additionally, the legislation allows for up to $50 million annually in tax credits toward the conversion of buildings into residential spaces.

Sen. Steve Roberts, D-St. Louis, said the legislation will ultimately lead to more people living in downtown St. Louis.

“The passage of House Bill 3231 was critical in our efforts to continue revitalizing Missouri’s main streets, central business districts, and downtowns,” Kehoe said in a statement.

The governor signed seven other bills into law Monday, including a wide-reaching health care bill that contains several policies related to reproductive health.

The nearly 200-page bill allows for Missourians on private insurance to obtain 12 months’ worth of birth control pills at once.

It also expands Medicaid coverage to doula services. It would apply to more care before, during and after a pregnancy. The state health department must also create and operate a registry of available doula services.

Additionally, the bill requires insurance companies to cover blood pressure monitors for pregnant and postpartum mothers.

The bill also requires Missouri to track and report cases of Lyme disease and alpha-gal syndrome. Alpha-gal is a tick-borne disease that creates an allergy to mammalian products like meat.

Any identifiable information on the blood test could only be shared between patient and physician.

The legislation also:

Allows patients to begin their care through telemedicine, as opposed to a physical examination whenever possible.
Permits the sale of ivermectin, a drug that’s grown in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic, over the counter. It also expands the types of vaccines pharmacists can administer.
Prevents insurance companies from capping payment for anesthesia by imposing time limits.
Permits schools and daycares to provide epinephrine either via injection or orally to treat allergic reactions.

Additionally, Kehoe signed a bill that provides rights to “a child born alive during or after an abortion or attempted abortion.”

The legislation is called the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Anyone who would kill or attempt to kill a fetus born alive after an abortion attempt could be prosecuted for first-degree murder under the bill.

Those against the bill say the focus on abortion causes consequences regarding maternal care in Missouri.

Fetal viability, or the point when a fetus would be able to survive outside the womb, is generally around 24 weeks of pregnancy.

According to KFF health research, abortions at or after 21 weeks of pregnancy are uncommon, representing 1% of all abortions in the country.

Kehoe said in a statement that he was proud to sign bills that will improve health care services across the state.

“I would like to thank the members of the House and Senate for their work to protect our most vulnerable, hold insurance companies accountable, and change the landscape of healthcare access and outcomes in communities across the state,” Kehoe said.

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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 winning numbers for July 12, 2026

Published

15 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at July 12, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 12 drawing

Midday: 7-1-3

Midday Wild: 0

Evening: 9-6-1

Evening Wild: 3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 12 drawing

Midday: 0-9-0-9

Midday Wild: 8

Evening: 2-9-7-1

Evening Wild: 4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from July 12 drawing

Early Bird: 05

Morning: 04

Matinee: 05

Prime Time: 04

Night Owl: 09

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from July 12 drawing

05-16-21-27-39

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

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

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.
Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
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.

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