Court order issued in Independence death penalty case
The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a convicted Jackson County killer to “show cause” why it should not set his execution date.
Leon Taylor, now 56, was sentenced to death for the 1994 killing of Independence service station attendant, Robert Newton, during a robbery. The victim’s 8-year-old stepdaughter witnessed the killing. The gun misfired when Taylor pointed it at her head and pulled the trigger.
The Supreme Court gave Taylor until April 14 to respond.
The court also issued a similar show cause order in a capital punishment case involving a man convicted in a St. Charles County.
Tony Rizzo, trizzo@kcstar.comThis story was originally published March 13, 2014 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Court order issued in Independence death penalty case ."