Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers, Religious Leaders Call for an End to Missouri Death Penalty

Bipartisan group of lawmakers, religious leaders call for an end to Missouri death penalty

Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, left, traveled to the Capitol this week in support of a bill that would abolish the death sentence in Missouri, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Jim Murphy, center. Democratic Rep. Steve Butz, right, also spoke in favor of the bill (Steph Quinn/Missouri Independent).There are 32 attorneys, investigators and specialists in the Missouri State Public Defender Office dedicated to preven…

Missouri bill to abolish the death penalty gets hearing for the first time in years

Anti-capital punishment advocates say the death penalty is costlier to taxpayers than life in prison because many defendants appeal their sentences, and the appeals process can force victims’ families to relive their trauma.