Missouri governor says execution of Amber McLaughlin to go forward Tuesday evening

Amber McLaughlin, a transgender woman who was convicted for a 2003 murder in Missouri, is scheduled to be executed at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The execution is the first this year in the United States.

Missouri is one of four states with executions scheduled thus far in 2023, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

McLaughlin, 49, was convicted of raping and killing her ex-girlfriend Beverly Guenther in 2003 in St. Louis County.

A jury deadlocked on the sentence and a judge handed down the death penalty. Missouri and Indiana are the only states that grant that power to a judge.

Michelle Smith, co-director of Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, said the loophole makes Missouri “an extreme outlier” and that it “reeks of injustice.”

Attorneys for McLaughlin submitted a clemency application to Gov. Mike Parson’s office three weeks ago, arguing that she suffered abuse as a child, had a borderline intellectual disability and was remorseful.

On Tuesday morning, Parson confirmed that the execution will go forward.

“McLaughlin’s conviction and sentence remains after multiple, thorough examinations of Missouri law. McLaughlin stalked, raped, and murdered Ms. Guenther. McLaughlin is a violent criminal,” Parson said in a statement. “Ms. Guenther’s family and loved ones deserve peace. The State of Missouri will carry out McLaughlin’s sentence according to the Court’s order and deliver justice.”