Death row inmate who claimed innocence for 10 years had chilling final words before execution
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: Missouri Department of Corrections/MISSOURIANS TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY
A death row inmate’s final chilling words have been revealed after he was executed on Tuesday (June 11).
David Hosier was put to death yesterday by lethal injection at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Missouri after a decade in prison.
The 69-year-old was convicted for the murders of Angela and Rodney Gilpin in 2009, having allegedly had an affair with Angela.
According to Randy Dampf, who was a Jefferson City police officer at the time, and is now an investigator for the county prosecutor, Hosier killed the couple after Angela broke off their romance.
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This was further reiterated by Missouri governor Mike Parson, a former county sheriff, who said in a statement: "Ms. Angela Gilpin had her life stolen by David Hosier because he could not accept it when she ended their romantic involvement.
"He displays no remorse for his senseless violence. For these heinous acts, Hosier earned maximum punishment under the law."
Hosier’s defence team at the time blamed his crime on the death of his father when he was 16 years old, citing that it caused trauma to the teen which the inmate wasn’t happy with.
He said that his trial should have focused on a lack of DNA, eyewitness accounts and fingerprints at the scene.
But in the end, he had a few thoughts on his mind.
His last words were: “I leave you all with love.
“Now I get to go to Heaven. Don’t cry for me. Just join me when your time comes.”
Hosier had always maintained his innocence in relation to the crime and was afraid of dying on death row.
The inmate told The Mirror one day before his scheduled death: "Everybody, no matter what, is afraid of death. If they say they're not, something's wrong with them.
"I know I’m innocent. I was not there. I did not kill these people. Period. I don’t know who did, but they’re still walking around free.
"I still don’t understand how you can find a person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and sentence a person to death when you have no witnesses to tie this person to the crime.
"You have no fingerprints, no DNA, no trace evidence, nothing tangible, no hard, physical evidence to tie me to this crime."
Police, however found a protective order application in Angela’s purse and information about her being afraid of Hosier during the investigation.
According to court records, after their deaths, police believed that he was the killer and immediately tried to find him but when they followed his car, a chase ensued and when they caught him, he told the officers, ‘shoot me, and get it over with’.
That’s when they found 15 guns, 400 rounds of ammunition and a bulletproof vest in his car, which he blamed on being a fan of hunting.
However, they also found a note which read: “If you are going with someone do not lie to them.
“Be honest with them if there is something wrong. If you do not this could happen to YOU!!”