Amber McLaughlin, a transgender woman convicted of murder in St. Louis County, Died by lethal injection Tuesday evening.
McLaughlin, 49, was the first to go public transgender person executed According to the Associated Press, in the United States.
She was pronounced dead at 6:51 p.m., according to the Missouri Department of Corrections.
“Amber faced her execution with great courage,” her attorney Larry Comp said in a statement sent to Star magazine.
It was the second execution in five weeks in Missouri.
McLaughlin was found guilty of murdering and raping ex-girlfriend Beverly Gunther in 2003.
her execution Seven former Missouri judges disagree In a letter to Governor Mike Parson, he claimed that the death sentence was handed down “due to a flaw in Missouri’s death sentence scheme.”
During the 2006 murder trial, the jury was unable to reach a verdict and dismissed three of the adverse circumstances prosecutors presented in their claims for the death penalty.
The judge sentenced him to death. Missouri and Indiana are the only two states that allow judges to impose the death penalty when jurors are unable to make a decision.
“It is difficult for our fellow citizens to understand that loopholes in the law have forced them to the sidelines,” Comp said. “Community conscience should be an absolute requirement for executions to proceed, but it is not here.”
Michelle Smith, Missouri’s co-director of the death penalty replacement, said the loophole made Missouri “extremely abnormal” and “smells of injustice.”
The head of the Missouri public defender’s office also asked Parson for a pardon. did. sentence Kevin Johnson to deathhe was Execution on November 29.
During her trial, McLaughlin was represented by a public defender. Fox has admitted that his attorney did not present evidence of McLaughlin’s brain injury.
“This strategic decision turned out to be fatal,” said Fox.
McLaughlin’s conviction was later overturned by a federal judge who found her barrister “constitutionally invalid.” It was overturned by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
McLaughlin began the transition about three years ago, according to AP.
in her petition for pardonMcLaughlin’s attorneys claimed she was abused as a child, had a borderline intellectual disability, and regretted it.
“I can’t help but think about how Amber was beaten, tasted, dirty and hungry when she was a child. As a society, I wonder why we couldn’t protect her.” I immediately regretted my actions in killing Gunther and was haunted by the memory of what she had done,” Comp said.
“Recently, Amber faced imminent execution and sought spiritual renewal with a spiritual advisor and a loving community that accepted her for who she is. It stands in stark contrast to the illusory nature of death.”
In a statement released Tuesday morning, Persson said: McLaughlin stalked, raped, and killed Gunther. McLaughlin is a violent criminal. “
“MS. Gunther’s family and loved ones deserve peace.
Four states, including Missouri, have execution dates scheduled for this year. On February 7th, Leonard “Raheem” Taylor will die from a lethal injection in Missouri.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 37 states have not carried out executions in the last decade.