ST. LOUIS (AP) – The fate of a Missouri man who killed his girlfriend and her young daughter during an argument more than 14 years ago was in the hands Tuesday of the U.S. Supreme Court and the governor.
Richard Strong is scheduled to die Tuesday evening, but his attorney has asked the Supreme Court to halt the execution, arguing that he’s mentally ill. Gov. Jay Nixon also is weighing a clemency request that heavily relies on Strong’s 14-year-old daughter, Alyshia, who was 3 months old when her mother and half-sister died.
She told The Associated Press in an interview Monday that she has forgiven her father.
“My father’s a very important role model in my life,” she said. “He’s always been with me. He’s the only surviving parent I have and I struggle in life. To see my father live would help me.”
If neither the court nor the governor steps in, the 47-year-old Strong would be the fourth man executed in Missouri this year, and the 16th since November 2013. Only Texas has executed more inmates over that time span.