Death row inmate in 2006 double homicide faces risk of 'surgery without anesthesia' if vein not found

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI: Brian Dorsey, aged 52, slated for execution on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, was found guilty of killing his cousin and her husband in their central Missouri home in 2006. 

Dorsey's legal team has multiple appeals in progress seeking clemency from Governor Mike Parson, as Fox News reported.

Notably, his attorneys point out the state's execution protocol which permits "surgery without anesthesia" if a suitable vein for lethal injection cannot be located.

Brian Dorsey’s attorneys raised concerns over potential risks of ‘surgery without anesthesia’

Upon learning about the potential risk of Brian Dorsey facing surgery without anesthesia during his execution, his attorneys raised concerns. 

For context, a federal court appeal is centered on Missouri's method of administering the fatal dose of pentobarbital. 

The protocol stipulates the insertion of primary and secondary intravenous lines but lacks clarity regarding the extent to which the execution team can pursue a suitable vein, leaving room for the possibility of an invasive "cutdown procedure".

Arin Brenner, a federal public defender representing Dorsey, emphasized, "It's surgery. It would be surgery without anesthesia." 

Brenner noted Dorsey's heightened risk of requiring a cutdown due to his obesity, compromised veins from diabetes, and past IV drug use. 

A spokesperson for Attorney General Andrew Bailey declined to comment directly but referenced the state's response to the appeal, stating that cut-down procedures are "rarely" utilized under Missouri's execution protocol. 

However, if necessary, medical personnel have access to pain-relieving medications.

Megan Crane, another attorney for Dorsey, argued that medication alone would be insufficient, advocating for the administration of a local anesthetic if the procedure becomes necessary. 

Despite Dorsey's attorneys referencing previous executions in 2023, 2014, and 2022, a spokesperson mentioned that Governor Mike Parson is still reviewing the clemency request.

Brian Dorsey pleaded guilty to killing cousin and her husband

Brian Dorsey, previously residing in Jefferson City, was found guilty of murdering his cousin, Sarah Bonnie, and her husband, Ben, on December 23, 2006, at their residence near New Bloomfield. 

Prosecutors alleged that on the same day, Dorsey contacted Sarah Bonnie, seeking financial assistance to settle a debt with two drug dealers who were present at his apartment. 

Later that night, Dorsey visited the Bonnie household. Subsequently, while they were asleep, he retrieved a shotgun from the garage and fatally shot both victims.

The bodies were discovered the following day by Sarah Bonnie's parents, with their 4-year-old daughter unharmed. 

A clemency petition was filed, with 72 current and former state correctional officers urging Governor Parson, a Republican and former county sheriff, to commute Dorsey's sentence to life imprisonment, citing his exemplary behavior while incarcerated. 

One officer stated, "The Brian I have known for years could not hurt anyone. The Brian I know does not deserve to be executed."