Brian Dorsey: Missouri governor rejects final clemency plea for 2006 double murderer

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

JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI: Missouri Governor Michael Parson rejected a final clemency plea on Monday, April 8, from Brian Dorsey, aged 52, who is set to be executed on Tuesday, April 9, for a 2006 double-murder. 

Dorsey's case has garnered significant attention as efforts were made to prevent his execution for the 2006 murders of his cousin and her husband, as Independent, reported. 

It was argued that he was in a state of psychosis induced by crack cocaine and alcohol, which he had turned to as a means of coping with depression.

Over 150 people requested the Governor to commute Brian Dorsey’s death sentence

More than 150 people, including prison workers, state representatives, and trial jurors, have asked Missouri Governor Mike Parson to lessen Dorsey's punishment.

Retired Missouri Supreme Court Judge Michael Wolff regretted not having more information before denying Dorsey's petition in 2009.

Wolff wrote, “In the case of Brian Dorsey, I now believe this is the rare case where we got it wrong, I am so convinced of our error that I have asked Governor Parson to grant clemency to Mr Dorsey.”

Dorsey's attorneys argue that he didn't receive proper representation during his trial because of the public defender system in place at the time.

Former officer Timothy Lancaster believes executing Dorsey would be cruel and unnecessary.

Many former and current Missouri Department of Corrections officers and prison staff have written to Governor Parson, stating that the death penalty is not suitable for Dorsey.

Dorsey's attorneys wrote to the US Supreme Court, explaining that he committed the murders during a drug-induced psychosis.

They argued that Dorsey was not properly evaluated by an expert who could have explained his inability to form the intent necessary for first-degree murder.

During his time on death row, Dorsey has been rehabilitated and has maintained a clean prison record for over 17 years.

The petition reads, “Notably, he earned the extraordinary trust of prison staff: he served as the prison’s barber – cutting the hair of inmates, correctional officers, and even wardens – and lived in the prison’s honor dorm.”

It concluded by saying, “And he has received the unprecedented support of more than 70 correctional officers in seeking clemency,” 

How did the victim’s family react to Brian Dorsey’s death sentence?

Governor Parson, a former sheriff who has not intervened in an execution since assuming office in 2018, stated, “The pain Dorsey brought to others can never be rectified, but carrying out Dorsey’s sentence according to Missouri law and the Court’s order will deliver justice and provide closure.”

Following the statement, some family members of the victims, including Dorsey's cousin Sarah and her husband Ben Bonnie, support the death sentence, while others oppose it.

One group of relatives stated earlier this year, "All of these years of pain and suffering we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, Brian will get the justice that Sarah and Ben have deserved for so long.”

Brian Dorsey's lawyers were concerned about ‘surgery without anesthesia’

Over the weekend, Brian Dorsey's lawyers and the state agreed on a settlement about a different issue. They discussed whether there were plans to avoid causing unnecessary pain if executioners had trouble putting an IV line for the execution drugs. 

Sometimes, when the staff can't find a vein, they may need to do a "cutdown," which involves making a deep cut in the skin to locate a suitable vein.

The death row inmate Dorsey argued that because he is obese, has diabetes, and used to inject drugs, there's a higher chance he may need a cutdown. His lawyers said this process could be very painful, comparing it to "surgery without anesthesia."