JIM SALTER, Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A federal appeals court has refused to halt the execution of a Missouri inmate, hours before he is scheduled to be put to death.
A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday denied a stay of execution for Earl Ringo Jr., who faces lethal injection at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday for killing two people while robbing a Columbia restaurant in 1998.
It would be the eighth execution in Missouri this year and the 10th since November.
The appeal questioned Missouri’s use of the sedative midazolam prior to executions, claiming it could dull the inmate’s senses, leaving him potentially unable to express any pain.
Attorney Richard Sindel says he is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court. A clemency petition is also before Gov. Jay Nixon.
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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri is preparing to execute a man convicted of killing two people while robbing a Columbia restaurant in 1998.
Earl Ringo Jr. is scheduled to die at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre. Ringo would be the eighth person put to death in Missouri this year and the 10th since November.
Ringo’s attorneys have filed several court appeals to try to spare his life. One appeal questioned Missouri’s use of the sedative midazolam in the hours prior to executions, claiming it could dull the inmate’s senses to the point that he might not be able to express pain and suffering.
A clemency petition to Gov. Jay Nixon also cites concerns about the fact that Ringo, who is black, was convicted and sentenced by an all-white jury.