Missouri murderer gets stay of execution from U.S. Supreme Court

By Bernie Woodall

 

FILE PHOTO: Death row inmate Russell Bucklew is shown in this Missouri Department of Corrections photo taken on February 9, 2014. REUTERS/Missouri Department of Corrections/Handout via Reuters/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - A Missouri man convicted of murder and rape received a stay of execution from the U.S. Supreme Court moments before he was scheduled to die on Tuesday, after lawyers argued that a lethal injection would cause an agonizing death due to his a rare medical condition.

 

Russell Bucklew, 49, was granted a reprieve so his case could be reviewed further. It was his second last-minute stay in less than four years.

 

Bucklew suffers from a congenital ailment known as cavernous hemangioma, a malformation of blood vessels that could burst from the stress of lethal injection, leading to undue agony in violation of the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

 

Bucklew was convicted of killing his former girlfriend's new boyfriend and raping her more than two decades ago.

 

He was moments away from execution in May 2014 when the U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay to allow Bucklew's lawyers more time to pursue a lawsuit challenging his death sentence on the basis of his medical condition.

 

The Supreme Court vote to stay the execution was 5-4. Voting not to stay the execution were Chief Justice John Roberts, and Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch.

 

Bucklew's attorney, Cheryl Pilate, told Reuters by telephone on Monday that her client's condition has declined since 2014, adding that doctors say his malady is untreatable and will eventually kill him.

 

Last month in Alabama, an execution was aborted for an inmate with severely compromised veins that led to a botched execution attempt, his lawyer claimed.

 

Bucklew was convicted of the 1996 murder of Michael Sanders in southeastern Missouri, and the kidnapping and rape of Stephanie Ray, an ex-girlfriend who had been seeing Sanders.

 

Last fall, the Missouri Supreme Court set the execution date for Tuesday.

 

Since the United States reinstated capital punishment in 1976, Missouri has executed 88 people. Missouri has not had an execution since January 2017. So far this year, six people have been put to death in the United States.

 

(Reporting by Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Editing by Michael Perry and Simon Cameron-Moore)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-21

Well that's a shame. A little agony might do him good.

5 minutes ago, Blackheart1916 said:

Well that's a shame. A little agony might do him good.

I assume you are American?

And the woman he raped and murdered didn't suffer an agonizing death? 

Don't do this POS any favor.  Inject his ass and let him suffer on his way to Hell.

 

37 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

And the woman he raped and murdered didn't suffer an agonizing death? 

Don't do this POS any favor.  Inject his ass and let him suffer on his way to Hell.

 

He didn't murder the woman; he murdered her boyfriend.  Not that it should make any difference if you believe in Sharia style punishments, as so many people seem to these days.

40 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

He didn't murder the woman; he murdered her boyfriend.  Not that it should make any difference if you believe in Sharia style punishments, as so many people seem to these days.

I'm an American, a retired Marine, and a Christian.  One who still believes in an "eye for an eye".  You take a life, you forfeit yours.  If it hurts in the process...tough shit.

 

48 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

I'm an American, a retired Marine, and a Christian.  One who still believes in an "eye for an eye".  You take a life, you forfeit yours.  If it hurts in the process...tough shit.

 

Spoken as Christ taught.... others on the forum please note, this does not reflect all Americans thinking....

hmmm.... the grim reaper waits... not for much longer I suspect

1 hour ago, Just1Voice said:

I'm an American, a retired Marine, and a Christian.  One who still believes in an "eye for an eye".  You take a life, you forfeit yours.  If it hurts in the process...tough shit.

 

It's disappointing that as a Christian you don't actually follow the words of Jesus.  Also, when you were a Marine, did you follow the 6th Commandment?

 

You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

— Jesus Christ, English Standard Version (Matthew 5:38-39)

 

1 hour ago, mwbrown said:

It's disappointing that as a Christian you don't actually follow the words of Jesus.  Also, when you were a Marine, did you follow the 6th Commandment?

 

You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

— Jesus Christ, English Standard Version (Matthew 5:38-39)

 

Try turning the other cheek when someone is trying to physically hurt you or kill you and let me know how that works out for you. lol

 

Try turning the other cheek when someone is trying to physically hurt you or kill you and let me know how that works out for you. lol
 

This is about capital punishment, not self-defence.

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40 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

This is about capital punishment, not self-defence.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

I was merely replying to the idiot to commented to me.

 

2 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

Try turning the other cheek when someone is trying to physically hurt you or kill you and let me know how that works out for you. lol

 

 

It's you that are claiming Christianity with "one voice", then espousing the opposite with another.

 

Let us know how you manage to "work out" that.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 21, 20188 yr by Enoon

got a do gooder on this subject i suppose if it were your son that got murdered that would be ok then or even your daughter that was raped, get a life . snowflake and you would be the guy to come on national tv to say, * we forgive you my son * what a joke

got a do gooder on this subject i suppose if it were your son that got murdered that would be ok then or even your daughter that was raped, get a life . snowflake and you would be the guy to come on national tv to say, * we forgive you my son * what a joke

Can anyone translate or paraphrase this gibberish?

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I would have no problem doing away with the death penalty, IF the convicted criminals where put in a cage for the rest of their lives and never let out.  Or we could bring back chain gangs and forced hard labor.  But prison sentences where these murders get TV's, workout areas, libraries, computers, etc. is not just punishment.  So in lieu of giving them a life in a prison where they just sit on their ass, the health penalty is okay with me.  It's always easy to argue against the death penalty when you are not a victim.  

Edited March 21, 20188 yr by Trouble

10 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

Spoken as Christ taught.... others on the forum please note, this does not reflect all Americans thinking....

What gives you the right to speak on behalf of all Americans?

I have no sympathy for murderers or rapists. I fully support the use the the Guillotine, it does not fail.

Geezer

5 hours ago, Trouble said:

I would have no problem doing away with the death penalty, IF the convicted criminals where put in a cage for the rest of their lives and never let out.  Or we could bring back chain gangs and forced hard labor.  But prison sentences where these murders get TV's, workout areas, libraries, computers, etc. is not just punishment.  So in lieu of giving them a life in a prison where they just sit on their ass, the health penalty is okay with me.  It's always easy to argue against the death penalty when you are not a victim.  

What is the 'health penalty'?

 

18 hours ago, Grouse said:

I assume you are American?

You assume wrong.You would be right in assuming that I think that anyone who willingly perpetrates heinous crimes such as these deserve no sympathy.

21 hours ago, Blackheart1916 said:

Well that's a shame. A little agony might do him good.

How would that 'do him good' and what benefit would society have from it?

2 hours ago, Blackheart1916 said:

You assume wrong.You would be right in assuming that I think that anyone who willingly perpetrates heinous crimes such as these deserve no sympathy.

obviously a follower of the good book, "vengeance is mine said the lord"

11 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Can anyone translate or paraphrase this gibberish?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Seems fairly understandable to me.

 

Seems fairly understandable to me.

 

Can you translate it then? It makes no sense to me.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

On 3/22/2018 at 8:13 AM, soalbundy said:

obviously a follower of the good book, "vengeance is mine said the lord"

Just a thought here but, wasn't it Moses that parted the Red Sea long enough for his people to get across then released it to smash and drown all the "bad guys" chasing them? Conflict of interest? Doesn't it also say: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." so, rape him a few times first and THEN kill him brutally? Just playing the devil's advocate here. 

1 minute ago, mrwebb8825 said:

Just a thought here but, wasn't it Moses that parted the Red Sea long enough for his people to get across then released it to smash and drown all the "bad guys" chasing them? Conflict of interest? Doesn't it also say: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." so, rape him a few times first and THEN kill him brutally? Just playing the devil's advocate here. 

doesn't count, that was in the first part of the fairy story, the old testament, after that God chilled a bit and got sort of liberal, turn the other cheek and forgive your enemies which Oscar Wilde agreed with as "Nothing annoys them more".