This article was published in partnership with The Marshall Project - St. Louis, a nonprofit news team covering Missouri’s criminal justice systems. Subscribe to their email list, and follow The ...

When the Rev. Jeff Hood walked into Oklahoma's execution chamber, he found his friend Emmanuel Littlejohn already strapped to a gurney, moments away from death. When Hood pulled out some anointing oil ...

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Death row inmate Benjamin Ritchie has filed a new lawsuit against leaders of the Indiana State Prison, demanding it allows him to have a spiritual adviser present during his ...

During Lance Shockley’s final moments in Missouri’s execution chamber in October 2025, he wanted his daughter, an ordained minister, by his side as his spiritual adviser. A few years earlier, the U.S.

Missouri denied condemned men their chosen spiritual advisers despite Ramirez ruling. Missouri kept 2013 execution protocols and hasn't updated them after Ramirez. Advocates say denials violate rights ...