State ex rel. Taylor v. Russell
Annotate this CaseLeon Taylor was convicted of first-degree murder and first-degree robbery, among other offenses, for shooting and killing a gas station attendant in front of the attendant’s eight-year-old stepdaughter. Taylor was sentenced to death. Taylor’s half-brother, Willie Owens, who participated in the robbery but not the shooting, pleaded guilty to a robbery charge. Although Taylor designated Owens as a witness to Taylor’s execution, Owens was informed he would not be permitted to witness the execution. Taylor and Owens filed a petition for a writ of mandamus to compel Respondent, the warden and director of the correctional center, to permit Owens to witness Taylor’s execution. The Supreme Court granted the writ, holding that Taylor and Owens had a clear, unequivocal right to have Owens witness Taylor’s execution pursuant to Mo. Rev. Stat. 546.740.
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