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November 19, 2014

Missouri Executes Death Row Prisoner After Appeals Denied 
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Missouri has executed death row prisoner Leon Taylor after his
last-minute appeals were denied. Taylor was convicted for the 1994
murder of a gas station attendant in Kansas City. He had sought clemency
from Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and a stay from the Supreme Court, but both
efforts were rejected Tuesday night. Taylor, who is black, was initially
sentenced to death by a judge after the trial jury deadlocked. When the
judge's sentence was thrown out, an all-white jury then sentenced Taylor
to death. Defense attorneys argued he was penalized for successfully
appealing his first conviction. Lawyers also cited a history of child
abuse beginning at the age of five. Taylor is the ninth person to be
executed in Missouri this year.

 

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