Missouri governor denies clemency, clears way for execution of man convicted of killing girl

Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri’s governor has denied clemency for Christopher Collings, an inmate who is scheduled to be executed Tuesday for sexually assaulting and killing a 9-year-old girl. The 49-year-old prisoner was condemned to die for the 2007 killing of Rowan Ford, a fourth-grader whose body was left in a sinkhole. Parson’s decision was announced Monday afternoon and likely sealed Collings’ fate. The U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal hours earlier on behalf of Collings. The inmate’s attorney, Jeremy Weis, says no additional appeals are planned. Collings is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Tuesday evening at the state prison in Bonne Terre.