Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) called for the death penalty to be abolished Tuesday after Missouri executed Brian Dorsey, a man who killed his cousin and her husband nearly two decades ago.
“There is no place in a humane society for state violence. Governor Mike Parson could have saved Brian Dorsey’s life by granting clemency, but he chose to uphold his legacy as the ‘Deadly Governor’ by denying Mr. Dorsey mercy,” Bush said in a statement.
Dorsey, 52, was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. Monday after a single-dose injection at the state prison in Bonne Terre. The execution came hours after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeals, The Associated Press reported.
He was convicted of killing Sarah and Ben Bonnie in December 2006 at their home and leaving their 4-year-old daughter home alone. After shooting the couple with a shotgun, Dorsey sexually assaulted Sarah Bonnie’s body and stole several items in an attempt to pay off a drug debt.
The execution stirred debate about Missouri’s single-drug protocol, which includes no provision for the use of anesthetics. The state settled with his attorneys and took steps to limit his pain but did not say what changes were made, or if an anesthetic was provided to Dorsey, the AP reported.
Bush and Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) sent a letter to Parson last week urging him to halt the execution. The congresswoman said her heart is with Sarah and Ben Bonnie’s families as well as Dorsey’s loved ones.
Bush said Dorsey was executed Tuesday “despite serious concerns about his state of mind when he committed the offense and the legal representation he was provided.”
A group of about 85 protesters gathered outside the prison in support of Dorsey ahead of his execution. His lawyers urged the Supreme Court to step in and said he has shown good faith in prison.
Dorsey’s lawyers said his public defenders were hurried through the case. He pleaded guilty in the case even though he had no agreement to spare him from the death penalty, the AP reported.
“Mr. Dorsey’s case demonstrates the systemic rot of our criminal legal system, which not only fails to prevent violence but actually enables violence itself,” Bush’s statement said. “We are so much more than our worst mistakes, and not a single one of us deserves to die because of them.”
“We must refuse to allow another life to be taken by our government. We must abolish the death penalty,” Bush said.