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Missouri Executes Mentally Ill Black Man Convicted by All-White Jury

© AP Photo / Amber HuntThis Oct. 9, 2012 file photo show the lethal injection chamber of the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. Attorney General Marty Jackley has asked South Dakota court officials to set a spring execution date for Rodney Berget, convicted and sentenced to death for the April 2011 killing of Sioux Falls prison guard Ronald Johnson.
This Oct. 9, 2012 file photo show the lethal injection chamber of the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. Attorney General Marty Jackley has asked South Dakota court officials to set a spring execution date for Rodney Berget, convicted and sentenced to death for the April 2011 killing of Sioux Falls prison guard Ronald Johnson. - Sputnik International
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The state of Missouri executed its third death row inmate so far this year, after the US Supreme Court turned down a clemency petition on Tuesday evening.

© AP Photo / Missouri Department of CorrectionsMissouri Death Row Inmate Andre Cole
Missouri Death Row Inmate Andre Cole  - Sputnik International
Missouri Death Row Inmate Andre Cole
Andre Cole, 52, was convicted 16 years ago of killing a man in a fit of rage. He forced his way into his ex-wife’s home in 1998 and stabbed her and a male friend because Cole was mad that his wages had been garnished for child support payments. His ex-wife’s friend ended up dying from his wounds. 

Cole’s supporters said the attack was out of character for him and "a one-time thing" and that he didn’t deserve the death penalty. They also petitioned to the nation’s highest court on his behalf for clemency, saying he was mentally ill and unfit for execution. The Supreme Court turned down that and several other petitions.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon also turned down a clemency petition that called Cole’s conviction into question because it was made by an all-white jury and Cole was black. 

Cole and his wife had been married for 11 years and had two children before divorcing in 1995. They fought about visitation with the children and he was upset that he had to pay child support.  His wages were garnished after he was $3,000 behind in payments by 1998. One of his coworkers later told authorities that Cole had said "Before I give her another dime, I’ll kill her."

In prison - Sputnik International
US Rights Organization Pushes for Debate on Death Penalty

He showed up at his ex’s house hours after the first deduction appeared in his paycheck, and forced his way in by throwing a tire jack through a glass door. He was confronted by his wife’s friend and stabbed him repeatedly, then his ex-wife. He fled the state but surrendered a month later, claiming at his trial that his ex-wife’s friend had started the attack with a knife.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) contends that prosecutors in St. Louis County unfairly prohibit black jurors from hearing a death penalty case involving a black suspect, an allegation the state dismissed as unfounded.

Missouri is tied with Texas for the most executions and is on track for breaking a record this year if the current trend continues.

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