Brian Dorsey will be executed by the state of Missouri on Tuesday, after Governor Mike Parson declined to commute his sentence to life without parole.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, Parson said "the pain Dorsey brought to others can never be rectified, but carrying out Dorsey’s sentence according to Missouri law and the Court’s order will deliver justice and provide closure."
Dorsey was convicted in the 2006 killing of his cousin and her husband in central Missouri. His legal defense team petitioned for clemency last month, asking the governor to commute his sentence to life without parole.
Dorsey's original trial lawyers were paid a flat fee, which the American Bar Association has said should only be used when the work is "straightforward, predictable and routine."
Retired Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Wolff, who upheld Dorsey’s death sentence in 2009, also called for clemency.
Wolff said he and his colleagues were not aware at the time that Dorsey’s legal team had been paid a set amount upfront, compromising the quality of representation he received.
“The legal system doesn't always get it right. And this is an instance where it is a matter of life, or death, and the system failed,” he told Up To Date on Monday.
- Michael Wolff, retired Missouri Supreme Court Judge and Chief Justice
