Missouri
Missouri's history of lynching lives on. Just look at the death penalty
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.
“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.”
Herring said she found a direct tie from past racial acts of terror to modern-day death penalty numbers.
“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.”
The date for the last matchup in the current Border War series is set.
Missouri men’s basketball will face Kansas in the Border War game on Dec. 6 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, according to a post from the Jayhawks’ official X/Twitter account Tuesday. The tipoff time and TV designation for the matchup will be released at a later date.
Kansas released its full nonconference schedule Tuesday, including the sixth and final game against Mizzou on the current competition contract.
The historic rivals have not yet signed a contract to renew the series beyond this season, according to a recent batch of competition contracts obtained by the Tribune through an open records request.
Missouri is yet to announce its nonconference schedule for the 2026-27 season, but there are three other known or reported games for this upcoming season.
Mizzou will face Howard at Mizzou Arena in the last leg of a three-game series, which will take place on a still-to-be-determined date.
The Tigers also have three more neutral-site games on their schedule. The annual Braggin’ Rights matchup against Illinois likely will fall in mid- or late- December at Enterprise Center, and Mizzou has agreed to a Nov. 15 trip to United Center in Chicago to face Marquette. Missouri also reportedly will face Saint Louis on Nov. 6 at Enterprise Center, according to Jon Rothstein at CBS Sports and College Hoops Today.
This season’s Border War matchup will include the first direct transfer between the two schools when Bryson Tiller suits up for Missouri after spending last season, his freshman year, at Kansas.
KU has won four of the five games since the series was renewed in 2021, including an 80-60 win in Kansas City last season. Missouri won the 2024-25 season matchup at Mizzou Arena, but has not beaten Kansas outside of Columbia since 2003.
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The Missouri State Highway Patrol arrested eleven people in north Missouri between May 29, 2026, and June 1, 2026. The arrests involved a variety of alleged offenses, including driving while intoxicated, felony drug possession, resisting arrest, and outstanding felony warrants. Arrests were reported in Grundy, Clinton, Caldwell, Shelby, Marion, Ralls, Monroe, Clark, and Macon counties.
It is important to note that, while all the individuals listed below have been reported as arrested, they may not have been physically transported to a detention center. Depending on the circumstances, an individual may be issued a summons, which includes a court date. When the Missouri State Highway Patrol issues a summons with a court date, it is considered an arrest, even if the individual is not physically transported to a detention center.
Diego G. Gavilanes-Tigse, 31, of Trenton, was arrested in Grundy County at 6:36 p.m. on May 29, 2026. He was charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and failure to signal. Gavilanes-Tigse was held at the Grundy County Law Enforcement Center and was placed on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold.
Heather S. Starchman, 37, of Kansas City, was arrested in Clinton County at 7:52 p.m. on May 29, 2026. Authorities reported she was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine, felony possession of a synthetic narcotic, felony tampering with evidence, felony resisting arrest, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia with a prior offense, cutting in on an overtaken vehicle, failure to yield, failure to register a motor vehicle, no insurance, no valid driver’s license, and failure to wear a seat belt. Starchman was taken to Cameron Regional Medical Center and later released.
Alcides Blazimiro Sagastume Gonzalez, 52, of Rock Springs, Wyoming, was arrested in Shelby County at 6:50 p.m. on May 29, 2026. He was charged with driving without a valid license and driving while intoxicated. He was held in Shelby County before being released.
Ernesto J. Carames Lopez, 27, of Kansas City, was arrested in Clinton County at 4:03 a.m. on May 30, 2026. Troopers reported he was wanted on a Clarke County, Iowa, felony warrant for larceny and was also charged with careless and imprudent driving resulting in an accident. He was held in Clinton County and was listed as bondable.
Mariah R. Vandervelden, 31, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, was arrested in Marion County at 2:56 p.m. on May 30, 2026. She was charged with driving while intoxicated and was held in the Marion County Jail before being released.
Chad A. Woolfolk, 46, of Hannibal, was arrested in Marion County at 3:50 p.m. on May 30, 2026. He was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while revoked, and no insurance. Woolfolk was held in the Marion County Jail and later released.
Jo A. Kennedy, 62, of Louisiana, Missouri, was arrested in Ralls County at 5:35 p.m. on May 30, 2026. Troopers charged her with driving while intoxicated involving alcohol and failure to drive on the right half of the roadway. Kennedy was held by the Ralls County Sheriff’s Office before being released.
Ethan Z. White, 25, of Huntsville, was arrested in Monroe County at 5:40 p.m. on May 30, 2026. He was charged with felony resisting arrest, two counts of speeding 26 mph or more over the limit, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, driving on the left side of the roadway when the view was obstructed, driving while intoxicated involving alcohol, and consumption of alcohol while driving. White was taken to the Randolph County Jail and placed on a 24-hour hold.
Brian D. Brooks, 66, of Keokuk, Iowa, was arrested in Clark County at 9:53 p.m. on May 30, 2026. He was charged with felony driving while intoxicated as an aggravated offender, no valid license, and failure to comply with ignition interlock requirements. Brooks was held by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office on a 12-hour hold.
Justus Garway, 30, of Altoona, Iowa, was arrested in Macon County at 11:30 a.m. on May 31, 2026. He was charged with felony driving while intoxicated as an aggravated offender, failure to comply with an ignition interlock system, failure to secure a child younger than 8 years old, and speeding. Garway was held in the Macon County Jail on a 24-hour hold.
Justin L. Bittiker, 44, of Independence, was arrested in Caldwell County at 8:22 a.m. on June 1, 2026. Troopers charged him with felony possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor unlawful use of drug paraphernalia, and turning from a direct course when unsafe. Bittiker was held at the Caldwell County Detention Center on a 24-hour hold.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department is investigating a homicide that occurred Monday evening.
The incident happened near 12th Street and Askew Avenue just after 6:40 p.m.
No word on what led to the violence.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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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.
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