Ahead of the scheduled execution of Lance Shockley on October 14, 2025, Amnesty International USA’s Deputy Director for Research, Justin Mazzola, said:
“Amnesty International urgently calls on Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe to act now to stop the scheduled execution of Lance Shockley.
“We are seeing an outpouring of support for Lance Shockley to live. Today, people are planning to march to Jefferson City to demand clemency for Shockley. On Tuesday, his supporters will hold a vigil at the state capitol. Last week, petitioners delivered a petition with 31,000 signatures to Governor Kehoe’s office calling on him to stop Shockley’s execution.
“People have many different reasons for opposing Shockley’s execution. Some may be against the death penalty for religious reasons. Others point to the significant irregularities that marred jury deliberations in his case, including ineffective legal counsel and misconduct by the jury foreman. Others still point to the fact that the evidence against him was entirely circumstantial, and that modern DNA testing of crime scene evidence, which might exonerate Shockley, has been repeatedly denied. Meanwhile, people who know Shockley speak of how he is a positive force in prison, skilled in de-escalation who regularly leads fellow incarcerated people in prayer.
“For us at Amnesty International, we oppose the death penalty in all cases because it violates the right to life and is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.
“Whatever our reasons, we are all united in our call for Governor Kehoe to stop this execution now. It’s time for Governor Kehoe to listen to the many and diverse voices from Missouri and beyond, act to protect human rights, and immediately grant clemency to Lance Shockley.”
Background
On September 9, 2025, Amnesty International issued an urgent action calling for Governor Kehoe to commute Lance Shockley’s death sentence.
Lance Shockley was convicted of the 2005 murder of a police officer investigating the drunk-driving death of Shockley’s sister-in-law’s fiancé. This would be Missouri’s first execution this year.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases and under any circumstances, regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to carry out the execution.
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