The governor of Missouri is a ‘Rat. The condemned prisoner is white. If the governor grants this guy a reprieve, the Blacks in Ferguson and elsewhere in Missouri are going to go nuts.
Apparently, the condemned prisoner was assigned two pro bono attorneys who turned out to be simultaneously incompetent and unethical and missed federal statutory pleading deadlines for federal court “habeas corpus” review of the state criminal proceedings. The lawyers probably ought to be disbarred. That is a separate matter.
If there is no question as to the guilt of the condemned prisoner, he should be executed. That his lawyers failed to file a collateral legal action on time does not mitigate the defendant’s guilt in this case.
Anyhow, it puts the appropriately named Governor Nixon in a bind.
I remembered when this happened. I can’t say I feel sorry he got crappy lawyers and hope it doesn’t affect him getting what he deserves.
All I can say is... NEXT!!!
They were trying for 1 a month but had some delays when other states had some issues and the bleeding hearts came out in force.