Lance Shockley, 48, continues to maintain his innocence. However, he is scheduled to be executed in Missouri on Tuesday for the shooting of a state trooper more than 20 years ago. He will now be executed by lethal injection after 6 pm local time at the state prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri.
Shockley was condemned for the murder of Sgt. Carl Dewayne Graham Jr. in March 2005. According to the prosecutors, the man waited for hours near the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s home in Southeast Missouri, and they ambushed him with a rifle and shotgun as soon as he got out of his patrol car.
A self-described “pro-lif[er]”, Gov. Kehoe denied Lance Shockley clemency, an innocent man who’s dedicated his life to serving others.
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Urge him to reconsider and stop this injustice. pic.twitter.com/dImqT18apm— Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty (@MADPMO) October 14, 2025
His request for clemency was denied on Monday. GOP Gov. Mike Kehoe said in a statement, “Violence against those who risk their lives every day to protect our communities will never be tolerated. Missouri stands firmly with our men and women in uniform.”
The Missouri Supreme Court denied a request to stay Shockley’s execution until a lower state appeals court issues a ruling on a petition by his lawyers asking for DNA testing of evidence that was found at the crime scene. Jeremy Weis, who is representing Shockely in this case, stated that it’s very unlikely that the lower appeals court will issue a ruling on the DNA testing before his execution on Tuesday.
“Even a small chance of exoneration is enough to warrant testing,” said his attorney in court documents. His lawyers also argued that Shockley’s First Amendment rights are being violated. They cited the ruling by the Missouri Department of Corrections that prohibited his daughter from being his spiritual advisor during the Tuesday execution.
TODAY: Missouri is scheduled to carry out the execution of Lance Collin Shockley for the murder of Sergeant Carl Dewayne Graham Jr. on March 20, 2005.
His execution will be the first in the state in 10 months and 37th nationwide. pic.twitter.com/Gv1pI8KDtS
— Friday-Justice-Obsessions (@death_row0506) October 14, 2025
In response, the officials argued that state prison policy prevents family members from having direct contact with death row inmates during their execution. The rule concerns security measures that could be disrupted in the process.
According to the authorities, Graham was investigating Shockely for an involuntary manslaughter, in which his best friend was killed. This was the reason why he shot the state trooper. According to court documents, he first shot Graham with a rifle, which made Graham fall to the ground and fracture his skull. Prosecutors claim that Shockely then shot him in the face with a .243-caliber rifle. Bullet fragments that were discovered in Shockley’s uncle’s property matched the rounds recovered from Graham’s body.
His lawyer, Weis, said last week, “The state’s case remained circumstantial. The murder weapons were never found. There were disagreements between the ballistics experts hired by the prosecution.”
