Killum Jones
2023-01-04 10:37:36 UTC
Amber McLaughlin, the first openly transgender woman to be executed in the
U.S., died by lethal injection Tuesday night in Missouri.
McLaughlin was pronounced dead at 6:51 p.m. at the Eastern Reception,
Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, according to the
Missouri Department of Corrections.
She was convicted of first-degree murder in 2006 in the killing of Beverly
Guenther, and a judge sentenced her to death after the jury deadlocked on
its sentencing decision. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson denied clemency Tuesday
after advocates expressed concern over her sentencing.
McLaughlin is a violent criminal, Parson said in a statement Tuesday.
Ms. Guenthers family and loved ones deserve peace. The State of Missouri
will carry out McLaughlins sentence according to the Courts order and
deliver justice.
McLaughlin spoke quietly with a spiritual adviser at her side as the fatal
dose of pentobarbital was injected. McLaughlin breathed heavily a couple
of times, then shut her eyes. She was pronounced dead a few minutes later.
I am sorry for what I did, McLaughlin said in a final, written,
statement. I am a loving and caring person.
McLaughlin was in a relationship with Guenther before her transition, but
Guenther obtained a restraining order after McLaughlin showed up multiple
times at her workplace.
Officers found a broken knife handle near Guenther's car and a trail of
blood at her office building on the night of Nov. 20, 2003, after her
neighbors reported that Guenther had not returned home. McLaughlin later
led police to a location near the Mississippi River in St. Louis where
Guenther's body had been dumped.
The state was ordered to give McLaughlin a new sentencing in 2016, but a
federal appeals court panel reinstated the death penalty in 2021.
McLaughlins appeal for clemency argued that the jury did not listen to
issues about her mental health. Her clemency petition included details of
traumatic childhood abuse, such as a foster parent who rubbed feces in her
face when she was a toddler, and her adoptive father used a stun gun on
her.
She suffered from depression, according to the clemency petition.
Advocates also expressed concern that McLaughlin would be put to death
even though the jury was not unanimous. An online petition for clemency,
supported by the organization Missourians for Alternatives to the Death
Penalty, called the decision a "gross misuse of judicial power."
"They werent convinced that Amber deserved the most severe punishment the
justice system can offer," the petition said. "But because of Missouris
legal loophole, the trial judge was able to overrule the deadlock jury and
impose a death sentence for Amber."
McLaughlin began her transition in prison about three years ago, according
to a fellow inmate and friend, Jessica Hicklin.
Hicklin won a lawsuit in 2018 against the Missouri Corrections Department,
challenging a policy that prohibited hormone therapy for inmates who were
not receiving it before they were incarcerated.
Hicklin said she rarely spoke to McLaughlin before McLaughlin's
transition, describing her fellow inmate as shy. The two spent more time
together as Hicklin offered guidance about how to file paperwork for
proper treatment and access to mental health counseling, as well as advice
about safety within the prison.
Definitely a vulnerable person, Hicklin said. Definitely afraid of
being assaulted or victimized, which is more common for trans folks in
Department of Corrections.
U.S., died by lethal injection Tuesday night in Missouri.
McLaughlin was pronounced dead at 6:51 p.m. at the Eastern Reception,
Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, according to the
Missouri Department of Corrections.
She was convicted of first-degree murder in 2006 in the killing of Beverly
Guenther, and a judge sentenced her to death after the jury deadlocked on
its sentencing decision. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson denied clemency Tuesday
after advocates expressed concern over her sentencing.
McLaughlin is a violent criminal, Parson said in a statement Tuesday.
Ms. Guenthers family and loved ones deserve peace. The State of Missouri
will carry out McLaughlins sentence according to the Courts order and
deliver justice.
McLaughlin spoke quietly with a spiritual adviser at her side as the fatal
dose of pentobarbital was injected. McLaughlin breathed heavily a couple
of times, then shut her eyes. She was pronounced dead a few minutes later.
I am sorry for what I did, McLaughlin said in a final, written,
statement. I am a loving and caring person.
McLaughlin was in a relationship with Guenther before her transition, but
Guenther obtained a restraining order after McLaughlin showed up multiple
times at her workplace.
Officers found a broken knife handle near Guenther's car and a trail of
blood at her office building on the night of Nov. 20, 2003, after her
neighbors reported that Guenther had not returned home. McLaughlin later
led police to a location near the Mississippi River in St. Louis where
Guenther's body had been dumped.
The state was ordered to give McLaughlin a new sentencing in 2016, but a
federal appeals court panel reinstated the death penalty in 2021.
McLaughlins appeal for clemency argued that the jury did not listen to
issues about her mental health. Her clemency petition included details of
traumatic childhood abuse, such as a foster parent who rubbed feces in her
face when she was a toddler, and her adoptive father used a stun gun on
her.
She suffered from depression, according to the clemency petition.
Advocates also expressed concern that McLaughlin would be put to death
even though the jury was not unanimous. An online petition for clemency,
supported by the organization Missourians for Alternatives to the Death
Penalty, called the decision a "gross misuse of judicial power."
"They werent convinced that Amber deserved the most severe punishment the
justice system can offer," the petition said. "But because of Missouris
legal loophole, the trial judge was able to overrule the deadlock jury and
impose a death sentence for Amber."
McLaughlin began her transition in prison about three years ago, according
to a fellow inmate and friend, Jessica Hicklin.
Hicklin won a lawsuit in 2018 against the Missouri Corrections Department,
challenging a policy that prohibited hormone therapy for inmates who were
not receiving it before they were incarcerated.
Hicklin said she rarely spoke to McLaughlin before McLaughlin's
transition, describing her fellow inmate as shy. The two spent more time
together as Hicklin offered guidance about how to file paperwork for
proper treatment and access to mental health counseling, as well as advice
about safety within the prison.
Definitely a vulnerable person, Hicklin said. Definitely afraid of
being assaulted or victimized, which is more common for trans folks in
Department of Corrections.