A man sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl has been executed in Missouri, officials from the prison system reported.Christopher Collings, aged 49, was declared deceased at 6:10 PM yesterday (12:10 AM Irish time) at the state penitentiary in Bonne Terre, as per a statement from the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Collings was found guilty of the November 2007 murder of Rowan Ford, the stepdaughter of a friend in the small town of Stella.
Her remains were discovered in a sinkhole several days later.
Collings’ lawyers contended that the police chief, who secured their client’s confession and served as the main witness at his trial, had a questionable past and was not credible.
Furthermore, they argued that the girl’s stepfather, David Spears, admitted his involvement in her death but was never charged with murder.
Governor Mike Parson of Missouri rejected Collings’ clemency appeal, allowing his execution by lethal injection to proceed.
“Mr. Collings has had all the protections provided by both the Missouri and United States Constitutions, and his conviction and sentence remain due to the horrific and heartless nature of his crime,” stated Governor Parson.
“There has never been any doubt regarding Collings’ involvement or the atrociousness of his actions.”
This year, there have been 23 executions across the United States, four of which took place in Missouri.
The death penalty has been revoked in 23 of the 50 states, while six others—Arizona, California, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee—currently have moratoriums in effect.
