Upcoming Execution - Richard Strong

Richard Strong

At 6pm tonight in Missouri, 48-year old Richard Strong will be executed by lethal injection at the state's Bonne Terre prison. Convicted of the capital murder of his girlfriend, Eva Washington and her 2-year old daughter, Zaendra Thomas, Richard Strong's only hope now is to be granted clemency by Missouri governor, Jay Nixon. 

There was one small survivor of Richard Strong's vicious attack on that fateful day in October 2000 - Strong's 3-month old daughter with Washington - Alyshia. When police discovered the scene, following a 911 call from Strong himself, they found the bodies of Miss Washington, her daughter and a baby laying on a bed, alive and next to the murder weapon. Fifteen years on, Alyshia Strong - who went to live with her paternal grandmother after her mother's death - has been a strong source of support for her father. Despite her father's actions effectively leaving her an orphan, Alyshia is urging Missouri Governor Jay Nixon to spare her more loss. She believes he has spent the last fifteen years feeling nothing but remorse for his 'split-second' violent actions and that to take his life would result in a double loss for her. 

Zaendra Thomas

Richard Strong's defence team have filed several appeals in the Supreme court in the last few weeks. One claiming Strong suffers from depression and another stating his mental state makes him incapable of understanding his execution. According to Alyshia, one thing Strong is capable of is regret and remorse. She told one source that her father was 'inconsolable' that his actions had resulted in the loss of two precious lives, Apparently, Strong and Miss Washington had had a volatile relationship with both parties being violent towards the other. There was also a long history of mental illness for both parties. Richard Strong said 'something snapped in my head' that day in October 2000 and he has regretted his actions ever since. 

As Strong's execution grows ever closer it remains to be seen whether the Governor will take into account Alyshia Strong's pleas for clemency for her father. As it stands at the time of publication she stands to lose her one remaining 'parent' to the American justice system. 

Ayshia Strong with her father and half-sister.

Scheduled Execution - Andre Cole

Andre Cole

At 6pm, Missouri time, 42-year old Andre Cole will be executed for the 2001 murder of his ex-wife's boyfriend. Despite this being a sound conviction, backed by DNA evidence and Cole's own statement, the Governor of Missouri is under intense pressure to stay the execution. This is because Cole, an African-American man, was convicted and sentenced to death by an all white jury. Despite the evidence, there is genuine racial unrest surrounding Cole's impending execution, on the basis that St Louis prosecutors removed three members of the jury, all black, before the trial began. 

Adding fuel to the fire is the fact the case was prosecuted in St Louis county, the jurisdiction that covers Ferguson where a series of clashes occurred last August over the police shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. A collective of African American organizations, civil rights activists and religious bodies have flooded the Governor's office with requests he launch an official enquiry into 'rampant racial bias' within St Louis County. They believe this racial bias has sent an unusually high amount of Black Americans to death row. 

Missouri's Governor appears to be standing his ground, and as of publication time Andre Cole is still set to be executed. However, there are many individuals who believe that if Cole is executed today, it will create huge problems that reach much further than Ferguson. 

Andre Cole murdered his Ex-Wife's Boyfriend in 2001