Missouri Nears Year Without Executions
The state's execution chamber has been largely idle since its last execution in October 2025, as the Archdiocese of St. Louis presses for abolition.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Criminal Justice
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Missouri is approaching a calendar year without an execution, with Lance Shockley's October 14, 2025 execution being the only one in the state that year. Six people are currently eligible for execution and are pursuing post-conviction appeals.
Why it matters
The lull comes as Missouri lawmakers weigh House Bill 2153, which would remove the judicial override that lets a judge impose death after a non-unanimous jury. Missouri and Indiana are the only two states that still allow that override.
Missouri has executed 102 people since 1976, with four executions in 2023, four in 2024, and one in 2025. Six people remain eligible for execution, all still working through post-conviction appeals and proceedings.
The players
Archdiocese of St. Louis Death Penalty Abolition Project
A project under the Archdiocese of St. Louis Office of Peace and Justice, founded in fall 2025 to educate Catholics about the death penalty and advocate for its abolition.
Mitchell T. Rozanski
The Archbishop of St. Louis, who testified in support of House Bill 2153 and the Catholic Church's opposition to capital punishment.
Mary Fox
The director of the Archdiocese of St. Louis Death Penalty Abolition Project and former head of the Missouri public defenders system.
The details
The Archdiocese of St. Louis Death Penalty Abolition Project, founded in fall 2025 under the Office of Peace and Justice and directed by Mary Fox, a former head of the Missouri public defenders system, is educating Catholics and advocating abolition. Fox has spoken at parishes, schools, community groups, and assisted living facilities across the archdiocese, and Catholics are being urged to contact state legislators in support of abolition and removal of the judicial override.
Timeline
October 14, 2025: Lance Shockley executed, Missouri's most recent execution.
March 2026: House Bill 2153, sponsored by Rep. Jim Murphy, heard in a Missouri legislative committee.
December 4, 2026: Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski to offer a reflection at the Catholic Mobilizing Network's December first Friday prayer vigil.
Legal Context
The Catholic Church's 2018 amendment to the Catechism declaring the death penalty inadmissible has shaped the archdiocese's current push for abolition in Missouri. The effort targets the judicial override, a provision Missouri shares only with Indiana.
Missouri residents who want to weigh in can contact their state legislators to ask for support of abolition legislation and removal of the judicial override. Catholic parishes across the archdiocese are hosting education sessions on the death penalty.
The takeaway
Residents who oppose capital punishment can contact their state legislators to support House Bill 2153 and the removal of the judicial override. Mary Fox noted that Missouri juries and prosecutors are seeking death sentences less often than they did 20 years ago.
What happens next
Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski will offer a reflection during the Catholic Mobilizing Network's December first Friday prayer vigil on December 4, 2026.
Further reading
For more on the state's legal system, see Missouri Criminal Justice.
More information
Register for the Catholic Mobilizing Network death penalty prayer vigil to join the December first Friday observance.
Source note: This article includes information reported by St. Louis Review.
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Should Missouri abolish the death penalty entirely?
