Missouri Man Set for Execution After Clemency Denied in Child Murder Case

Missouri is set to execute Christopher Collings for the 2007 sexual assault and murder of 9-year-old Rowan Ford after Governor Mike Parson denied clemency and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal. Collings, who was convicted of first-degree murder, will receive a lethal injection. The crime, described as "vile and inhumane," involved Collings abducting and killing Ford, who knew him as "Uncle Chris." Collings' clemency petition cited a brain abnormality and childhood abuse, but was denied. This will be Missouri's fourth execution in 2024.