Reps. Cori Bush (D-MO) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) urged Gov. Mike Parson (R-MO) to halt the execution of a veteran.
David Hosier, 69, is set to be executed on Tuesday for the murders of his ex-girlfriend, Angela Gilpin, and her husband, Rodney Gilpin. Hosier, who served in the U.S. Navy and worked for the Jefferson City Fire Department, has Democratic lawmakers advocating on his behalf. They penned a letter to Parson on Friday, pleading with the Missouri governor to intervene in Hosier’s execution.
“When he was just 16 years old, his father, Detective Sergeant Glen Hosier, was shot in the line of duty,” the letter states. “This tragic loss deeply affected Mr. Hosier, who never had the chance to say goodbye to his father. Following this, he was repeatedly let down by the absence of institutional support for mental health resources for those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty. … At the time of his offense, Mr. Hosier was suffering from significant brain damage from a stroke he suffered in 2007. His trial team failed to fully present this crucial information to jurors, which hindered their ability to make an informed decision.”
Hosier filed an appeal against his conviction, but it was denied by the Missouri Supreme Court in 2009. His execution date was set earlier this year.
Additionally, over 4,800 people have signed a petition to prevent his execution by lethal injection.
Bush and Cleaver have previously written letters on behalf of other death-row inmates. Unfortunately, their efforts on behalf of Brian Dorsey, Johnny Johnson, Amber McLaughlin, Kevin Johnson, and Ernest Johnson did not halt their executions.
The upcoming execution would be the second one this year, following Dorsey, who was executed by lethal injection in April. On the same day as his execution, the Supreme Court denied his appeal, even disregarding clemency requests from his prison guards. Dorsey was convicted in 2008 of murdering his cousin and her husband.
