(KMOX) - Attorneys from the Innocence Project, Midwest Innocence Project and the MacArthur Justice Center are asking the governor to stay Walter Barton's execution scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Barton was tried five times and convicted of the 1991 killing of Gladys Kuehler, 81, in Ozark, Mo. She was beaten, sexually assaulted and stabbed more than 50 times at a mobile home park she managed.
Two of Barton's previous trials ended in mistrials and another two convictions were overturned.
If the execution goes on as scheduled, it would be the first in the U.S. since March 5. Some doctors are asking states to give over the drugs used during lethal injections, so they can used when treating patients suffering from COVID-19. The drugs can be used to help alleviate respiratory suffering in coronavirus patients.
The last trial centered around small blood splatters on Barton's shirt. His lawyer says Barton got the blood on him because he was one of three people who found Kuehler and that the killer would have had clothes soaked in blood from the large slashes to her body.
The prosecution argued Barton went to Kuehler's home to borrow $20 and killed her.
Barton has always maintained his innocence.
No witnesses for either family plan to attend the execution in Bonne Terre. Other states like Texas and Ohio have postponed executions because of COVID-19.
Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty will hold an online virtual vigil on Facebook from 5-6:30p Tuesday: www.facebook.com/madpmo
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