Convicted killer executed in Missouri; St. Louis congresswoman calls for ending capitol punishment

A convicted murderer who raped and killed a woman in 2003 in eastern Missouri’s Earth City has been executed.

Amber McLaughlin, who’s a transgender woman, was known as Scott McLaughlin in 2003. McLaughlin was sentenced to death for raping and killing 45-year-old Beverly Guenther as she left work in Earth City. Prosecutors say Guenther was stabbed to death with a steak knife.

The Associated Press reports it’s believed to be the first execution of a transgender woman in the United States.

Governor Mike Parson (R) rejected a clemency request, saying McLaughlin’s conviction and sentence received multiple examinations. The governor says the victim was stalked and terrorized before the murder.

McLaughlin was executed by lethal injection Tuesday night at the state’s maximum-security prison in Bonne Terre. U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-St. Louis) called for the governor to block the execution, describing the death penalty as cruel and inhumane.