Federal court reinstates death penalty order for Missouri inmate convicted of killing jailers
A federal appeals court has vacated a stay of execution granted to a Missouri inmate who was convicted of killing two jailers ST. LOUIS -- A federal appeals court has vacated a stay of execution for a Missouri inmate who is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday for his role in the deaths of two jailers. Michael Tisius, 42, was sentenced to death after being convicted of killing Randolph County jailers Jason Acton and Leon Egley during a failed escape attempt. U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough issued the stay on Wednesday and ordered an evidentiary hearing after Tisius' attorneys argued that a juror in his 2010 resentencing was illiterate, which is not allowed under state law. On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit said the lower court did not have jurisdiction to order the stay. Keith O’Connor, an attorney for Tisius, said his team will appeal the decision, the Kansas City Star reported. Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty and the Missouri NAACP have ...