Reps. Cori Bush (D-MO) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) called on Gov. Mike Parson (R-MO) to stay the execution of a veteran.
David Hosier, 69, is scheduled to be executed Tuesday for the murders of his ex-girlfriend, Angela Gilpin, and her husband, Rodney Gilpin. Hosier served in the U.S. Navy and also worked for the Jefferson City Fire Department. The Democratic lawmakers sent Parson a letter Friday, encouraging the Missouri governor to stop Hosier’s execution as the only one with the power to do so.
“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.”
Hosier attempted to appeal his conviction, but it was denied by the Missouri Supreme Court in 2009. His execution date was scheduled earlier this year.
In addition to the letter, over 4,800 people have signed a petition to stop his execution by lethal injection.
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Bush and Cleaver have written letters on behalf of other death-row inmates. However, their letters on behalf of Brian Dorsey, Johnny Johnson, Amber McLaughlin, Kevin Johnson, and Ernest Johnson did not stop their respective executions.
The June execution is slated to be the second this year, after Dorsey, who died of lethal injection in April. Earlier that day, the Supreme Court denied his appeal, rejecting even the calls for clemency from his prison guards. Dorsey was convicted in 2008 of murdering his cousin and her husband.
