Brian Dorsey: Missouri inmate executed by lethal injection despite prison staff's call for clemency

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

BONNE TERRE, MISSOURI: Despite efforts by prison officials to spare his life, a death row inmate was executed on Tuesday, April 9 for the 2006 murders of his cousin and her husband.

Brian Dorsey, 52, was declared dead at 6.11 pm at the state prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri, as per CNN.

According to Karen Pojmann, a spokesperson for the department, the method of execution was lethal injection. She mentioned at a news conference that the process "went smoothly, with no problems."

Missouri Governor Mike Parson denied clemency stating that Brian Dorsey's execution would bring justice and closure

The execution of Dorsey took place shortly after the US Supreme Court declined to intervene and approximately a day following the denial of clemency by Missouri’s Republican governor.

Mike Parson rejected the inmate’s petition, which was supported by over 150 people, including 70 correctional officers, seeking commutation of his sentence to life in prison.

Dorsey and his legal team pointed to his remorse, rehabilitation during incarceration, and the alleged financial conflict of interest of his trial attorneys as grounds for sparing his life.

Before the execution, his attorney, Kirk Henderson, said that his client had "spent every day of the past 18 years trying to make up for the single act of violence he committed, serving the prison community as the staff barber and never getting in even the slightest trouble," as per The Guardian. 

However, these arguments failed to sway the governor, who stated that executing Dorsey would bring justice and closure.

In his final letter, Dorsey expressed deep remorse to the families of his victims, saying, "To all of the family and loved ones I share with Sarah and to all of the surviving family and loved ones of Ben, I am totally, deeply, overwhelmingly sorry. Words cannot hold the just weight of my guilt and shame."

He also conveyed his love and gratitude to his supporters, affirming, "I still love you. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I am sorry I hurt them and you. To my family, friends, and all of those that tried to prevent this, I love you! I am grateful for you, I have peace in my heart in large part because of you and I thank you."

"To all those on ALL sides of this sentence, I carry no ill will or anger, only acceptance and understanding," added Dorsey. 

Victim's family can 'finally see the light at the end of the tunnel'

While Dorsey received support from some of his relatives, others sided with the execution, viewing his actions as the "ultimate betrayal" for the murder of his cousin, Sarah Bonnie, and her husband, Benjamin Boney.

They condemned him for leaving their daughter Jade, then four years old, alone in the house while her parents' bodies were locked in their bedroom.

A statement from Sarah's family read, "Not only did Jade lose her parents but we also lost a daughter and son, sister and brother, aunt and uncle, and a great aunt and great uncle to so many." 

It emphasized, "They were loved so deeply by anyone that knew them, 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 had spent time with family before killing Sarah and Benjamin in 2006

Dosey was found guilty of murdering Sarah and Benjamin on the night of December 23, 2006.

Earlier that day, he had reached out to Sarah for assistance, as detailed in a case history provided in a March ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court. Dorsey claimed that two drug dealers were in his apartment and he needed money to pay them.

Sarah and her husband went to Dorsey’s apartment, and after the drug dealers left, they took him back to their home. According to the court documents, Dorsey spent the evening with their family and friends, drinking and playing pool.

Later that night, Dorsey entered Sarah and Benjamin's bedroom and fatally shot them with a shotgun at close range.

Dorsey, who faced two counts of first-degree murder, pleaded guilty to two counts in March 2008 and was sentenced to death for each killing, a decision upheld on appeal.

The murders deeply affected Sarah's family, who discovered the bodies, according to their statement. In years after, they have kept the memory of Sarah and Benjamin alive by visiting the cemetery annually to release balloons.

"We think of all the things that she has missed out on during her life without her parents. First day of school, school parties, school dances, first date, sweet sixteen, first boyfriend, and high school graduation. All of this was taken from her by a family member that proclaimed to love her," lamented the family in their statement. 

However, Jenni Gerhauser, a cousin to both Dorsey and Sarah, had hoped he would be spared and expressed devastation at the failure to save his life.  

She stated, "The death penalty isn’t punishment for the convicted. This evening, Brian will be set free. His punishment will end, and for all of us only guilty of loving him, ours will begin."