Death row prisoner's haunting last words to 'join him' before execution for murder of ex-lover

By: irishmirror.ie

Jun 16 2024
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Death row prisoner's haunting

Even at the point of his execution on Tuesday, a man who was found guilty of killing his ex-lover and her husband in what the prosecution called a "fit of rage," said he was innocent.

According to Karen Pojmann, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Corrections, David Hosier, 69, was declared dead at 6:11 p.m. in the state prison in Bonne Terre after receiving a single injection of the sedative pentobarbital. His last words suggest he thought of himself as a martyr standing against a corrupt justice system.

"I'm the luckiest man on earth. Just in the last few weeks... I've been able to speak the truth of my innocence. I've been able to set an example of resistance to lawyers who bully their clients," he said.

"I've been able to reminisce with family and friends new and old. I've been able to learn to be, the fullest version of me. I couldn't have done any of it without the greatest death row spiritual advisor in history, Rev. Hood. 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 was found guilty of killing Rodney Gilpin and Angela Gilpin in Jefferson City, the state capital, in 2009.

David Hosier was sentenced to the death penalty (Image: TNS)

According to investigators, Hosier was upset with Angela Gilpin for ending their romantic relationship and getting back together with her husband. Hosier insisted all the way to the end that he wasn't guilty based just on circumstantial evidence and that he was innocent.

Hosier claimed that if his public attorneys hadn't overlooked one of the most significant filing days in his life, he might have had months or perhaps years to live.

David Hosier's final statement. Missouri is set to execute him as early as 6 p.m. today at the state prison in Bonne Terre. Missourinet is serving as a witness in the execution (Image: No credit)

In February, Hosier's attorney neglected to timely file his last appeal with the US Supreme Court. In the final moments of his life, Hosier prepared for his demise in the solitary, murky death chamber of the Potosi Correctional Center located in Mineral Point, Missouri.

His spiritual advisor, relatives, and maybe a handful of acquaintances observed in terror. Had his "public pretenders," as he referred to them, done their jobs and fought for his life, he might have been free.

"There were so many things that were messed up from the very beginning to the very end. My last public pretenders missed my last filing date to the United States Supreme Court, which was my last appeal to have anything done. They actually missed the filing date," he told TheMirror.com, exasperation seeping into his voice as he held back a wave of anger.

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