Missouri Executes Man for 2005 Killing of State Trooper

A Missouri man who long maintained his innocence was executed Tuesday for the fatal shooting of a state trooper more than 20 years ago. Lance Shockley, 48, was pronounced dead at 6:13pm following a lethal injection at the state prison in Bonne Terre, the AP reports. Shockley was convicted of killing Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Dewayne Graham Jr. in March 2005. Prosecutors said he waited for hours near Graham's home in Van Buren, in southeast Missouri, and shot him with a rifle and shotgun after the trooper exited his patrol vehicle. Authorities said Shockley shot the trooper because he was investigating him for involuntary manslaughter after leaving the scene of a deadly accident in which Shockley's best friend was killed.

In a written final statement, Shockley said: "So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you."

• The execution was carried out after the US Supreme Court rejected his final appeals earlier in the day. GOP Gov. Mike Kehoe turned down his request for clemency Monday. "Violence against those who risk their lives every day to protect our communities will never be tolerated. Missouri stands firmly with our men and women in uniform," Kehoe said in a statement.
• Shockley's attorneys were unsuccessful in their efforts to have state appeals courts stop his execution in order to allow DNA testing of evidence found at the scene of the killing. His lawyers argued that much of that evidence had never been tested and could have helped exonerate Shockley.

• "Even a small chance of exoneration is enough to warrant testing," his lawyers said in court documents. They also asked the Supreme Court for a stay, arguing that his First Amendment rights were being violated since the Missouri Department of Corrections prohibited his daughter from being his spiritual adviser during the execution. In March 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that states must allow spiritual advisers to accompany inmates in the death chamber. Missouri officials argued that state prison policy prevents family members from having direct contact with inmates during an execution due to security concerns they might interfere with the process.
• Shockley is the first person put to death this year in Missouri, where no other executions are scheduled for 2025. Earlier Tuesday, Florida executed its 14th inmate of the year.