Congresswoman Bush Statement Following Missouri’s Execution of Brian Dorsey
Washington, D.C. (Apr. 10, 2024) – Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) released the following statement after the State of Missouri executed Brian J. Dorsey, a 51-year-old native of Jefferson City, at 6:11pm CT. The State and Governor Parson continued with Mr. Dorsey’s execution despite medical experts concluding that Mr. Dorsey was in a drug-induced psychosis at the time of the offense. Further, Mr. Dorsey was advised by attorneys who used a flat fee arrangement and had a financial conflict of interest in the case to plead guilty to a capital offense, with the death penalty still on the table, based on no investigation or expert opinion regarding whether there were viable defenses available to him.
“Yesterday, Brian Dorsey was executed by the state of Missouri despite serious concerns about his state of mind when he committed the offense and the legal representation he was provided. My heart is with the family of Sarah and Ben Bonnie, and also with Mr. Dorsey’s loved ones,” said Congresswoman Bush. “There is no place in a humane society for state violence. Governor Mike Parson could have saved Brian Dorsey’s life by granting clemency, but he chose to uphold his legacy as the ‘Deadly Governor’ by denying Mr. Dorsey mercy. Mr. Dorsey’s case demonstrates the systemic rot of our criminal legal system, which not only fails to prevent violence but actually enables violence itself. We are so much more than our worst mistakes, and not a single one of us deserves to die because of them. We must refuse to allow another life to be taken by our government. We must abolish the death penalty.”
Congresswoman Bush and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (MO-05) sent a letter to Governor Mike Parson urging him to halt the execution of Brian Dorsey. Representatives Bush and Cleaver have written similar letters to Governor Parson ahead of the state-sanctioned executions of Johnny Johnson, Amber McLaughlin, Kevin Johnson and Ernest Johnson.
Since first coming to Congress, Congresswoman Bush has been a national leader in the push for clemency reform and death penalty abolition. In February 2021, the Congresswoman urged President Biden to use his pardon power to correct legacies of injustice in the clemency process, including by commuting the sentences of every person on federal death row. In December 2021, Congresswoman Bush, alongside Representatives Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), introduced the Fair and Independent Experts in Clemency (FIX Clemency) Act, historic legislation that would transform our nation’s broken clemency system and address the growing mass incarceration crisis. She is also a proud cosponsor of the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act, which would end the federal government’s use of the death penalty.