Congresswoman Cori Bush is urging Gov. Mike Parson (R-MO) to halt the execution of David Hosier, a 69-year-old veteran scheduled to be executed Tuesday for killing his ex-girlfriend and her husband.
On Friday, Rep. Bush, alongside Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) sent Parson a letter asking that he reconsider executing Hosier, who has served in the U.S. Navy and worked for the Jefferson City Fire Department. According to a
“When he was just 16 years old his father, Detective Sergeant Glen Hosier, was shot in the line of duty,” the letter reads. “This tragic loss left an indelible mark on Mr. Hosier, who never had the chance to say goodbye to his father. Following this, he was repeatedly failed by the lack of institutionalized 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.”
After Hosier was convicted, he filed an appeal but the Missouri Supreme Court denied the filing in 2009. Since then, his execution by lethal injection was scheduled in 2024.
Meanwhile, a petition was created to stop his execution. Since it was initiated, more than 6,000 people have signed the petition.
Gov. Parson has since denied clemency.
This is not the first time Bush has written a letter asking the governor to grant clemency to death-row inmates. But none of her letters has stopped any executions thus far.
Dosier’s scheduled execution will be the second execution conducted this year. In April, Brian Dorsey died by lethal injection for the 2008 murder of his cousin and her girlfriend.
Read the letter in its entirety here.
