Death row prisoner who has claimed innocence for 10 years speaks out before execution
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Missouri Dept. of Corrections / Facebook/ Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty
A man who has been on death row for over a decade is set to be executed today.
In 2013, David Hosier was tied to the murders of Angela and Rodney Gilpin, which took place four years prior.
It's believed Hosier had been in a relationship with Angela while she was separated from her husband, but the married pair went on to reconcile - leaving Hosier jilted and jealous.
Advert
The Gilpins were found dead in the hallway of their Jefferson City apartment building after being shot several times.
While both Angela and her husband died in the ordeal, Hosier was only convicted of his former lover's murder.
Since his conviction, Hosier has remained on death row - but he has always maintained his innocence.
Despite this, he's set to be executed this evening (June 11) in what will be Missouri's second execution this year.
His lawyers had asked for clemency on several occasions, but the requests have denied.
In a last ditch-attempt to save Hosier's life, his lawyers filed again yesterday (June 10). Missouri Govenor Mike Parson chose to deny this, however.
Now speaking out before his execution later today, Hosier is still claiming he's innocent.
Admitting he's scared to die, the inmate told TheMirror.com: "Everybody, no matter what, is afraid of death. If they say they're not, something's wrong with them."
Going on to maintain the fact that he was not the person who killed the Gilpins, Hosier went on: "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."
He went on to allege that the only reason the murders were linked to him was because he had no witnesses and no alibi for the day of the crime.
However, court records showed that police found Hosier with 400 rounds of ammunition and 15 firearms in his car.
Other than that, it's said that the authorities only had circumstantial evidence to convict the now 69-year-old.
Hosier will now die by lethal injection today at 6pm CT.
The window for the execution runs for 24 hours, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections.