David Hosier, a 69-year-old veteran convicted of killing a former lover, was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday evening in Missouri.
He was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. Central time at Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, about an hour south of St. Louis.
The state uses the drug pentobarbital in its executions.
In a last statement, Hosier quoted a Bible verse from Timothy, which read in part: “The time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day.”
In another statement from Hosier, provided by his spiritual adviser, Rev. Jeff Hood, Hosier said, “I’m the luckiest man on earth. Just in the last few weeks … I’ve been able to speak the truth of my innocence … I’ve been able to reminisce with family and friends new and old. I’ve been able to learn to be, the fullest version of me … Now, I get to go to heaven. Don’t cry for me. Just join me when your time comes.”
Earlier Tuesday, Hosier met with Hood. Their visit ended shortly before 11:15 a.m., according to Karen Pojmann, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Hosier’s last meal included a New York strip steak, baked potato with butter and sour cream, Texas toast, Dutch apple pie, orange juice and milk, the Missouri Department of Corrections said.
Fifty-two protesters opposed to the execution gathered on the grounds of the prison on Tuesday evening.
Six witnesses for Hosier and eight witnesses related to the victims viewed the execution, Pojmann said.
In 2013, Hosier was sentenced to death for the murder of Angela Gilpin, 45. She and her husband, Rodney Gilpin, 61, were found dead Sept. 28, 2009, in the hallway of her Jefferson City apartment building.
Angela Gilpin and Hosier had been in a relationship before she ended up reconciling with her husband.
In a 19-page clemency petition, Hosier’s legal team argued his life should be spared because he suffered a life-changing trauma as a teen when his father was killed in the line of duty as a police officer. They also noted that Hosier had a record of public service, including serving in the U.S. Navy, and had been hospitalized for a heart problem in May.
Gov. Mike Parson denied clemency on Monday.
“Ms. Angela Gilpin had her life stolen by David Hosier because he could not accept it when she ended their romantic involvement. He displays no remorse for his senseless violence,” the governor said in a statement.
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