Organizations deliver letters to governor to stop death of Michael Tisius
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty spoke at the Capitol building and delivered petitions to the governor Tuesday in an effort to stop the execution of Michael Tisius.
Tisius was convicted of shooting and killing two Randolph County jailers during an attempt to free a friend in 2000. Tisius was convicted at 19 years old and has been detained since his conviction in 2001.
His execution is set for next Tuesday.
The anti-death-penalty group is asking Gov. Mike Parson to grant Tisius clemency and change his sentence to life without the possibility of parole. The organization will presented the petitions at 1:30 p.m. at Parson's office in the Capitol building.
“Missouri's deep cultural attachment to the death penalty prevents us from adhering to evolving standards of decency designed to protect children from the ultimate punishment. Executing Juveniles violates the Eighth Amendment, and Governor Parson should show mercy and spare his life. In almost every other state in the nation, Michael Tisus would not be eligible for execution," Nimrod Chapel Jr., MADP board chair and president of the Missouri NAACP, said in a news release.
Kelli Jones, communications director for Parson, said that Parson's attorneys will speak with Tisius's attorneys.
Jones said that in the past, if nothing changed, the governor has moved forward with the law of execution.
The Columbia-based Mid-Missouri Fellowship for Reconciliation will hold an event for people to learn more about the case starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Shepard Boulevard.
