April 03, 2024

Representatives Bush, Cleaver Urge Missouri Governor Parson to Halt Execution of Brian Dorsey

 

Washington, D.C. (Apr. 3, 2024) – Today, Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (MO-05) sent a letter to Missouri Governor Mike Parson urging him to halt the execution of Brian Joseph Dorsey, scheduled for April 9. In addition to the Representatives, at least 70 Missouri Department of Corrections officers and a former warden have rallied for Mr. Dorsey and urged a commutation of his sentence.

Medical experts have concluded that Mr. Dorsey, a 51-year-old native of Jefferson City, was in a drug-induced psychosis at the time of the offense. Further, Mr. Dorsey was advised by attorneys who used a flat fee arrangement and had a financial conflict of interest in the case to plead guilty to a capital offense, with the death penalty still on the table, based on no investigation or expert opinion regarding whether there were viable defenses available to him.

“As lawmakers, we are committed to building a Missouri that is a beacon of justice, and we strive daily to represent the needs and demands of Missourians across the state,” wrote the Representatives. “We strongly urge Mr. Dorsey’s clemency request be immediately granted.”

A copy of the letter can be found HERE.

Representatives Bush and Cleaver have written similar letters to Governor Parson ahead of the state-sanctioned executions of Johnny Johnson, Amber McLaughlin, Kevin Johnson and Ernest Johnson.

Since first coming to Congress, Congresswoman Bush has been a national leader in the push for clemency reform and the need to end the death penalty. In February 2021, the Congresswoman urged President Biden to use his pardon power to correct legacies of injustice in the clemency process, including a call to commute the sentences of all on federal death row. In December 2021, Congresswoman Bush, alongside Representatives Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), introduced the Fair and Independent Experts in Clemency (FIX Clemency) Act, historic legislation that works to transform our nation’s broken clemency system and address the growing mass incarceration crisis. She is a proud cosponsor of the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act, which would end the use of the death penalty by the federal government.

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