Execution date set for 1994 Independence killing
The Missouri Supreme Court on Monday set a new execution date for the killer of an Independence service station attendant.
The court ordered that Leon Taylor, 56, be put to death on November 19 for the 1994 murder of 53-year-old Robert Newton. After shooting Newton, Taylor attempted to shoot Newton’s 8-year-old stepdaughter, but the gun misfired, according to trial testimony.
Taylor then tried to get another gun from two co-defendants, but they refused and fled.
The court had previously set a September execution date for Taylor, but later withdrew the execution warrant after Taylor’s lawyers said they needed more time to work on his case.
Missouri has carried out eight executions in 2014. In addition to Taylor, another state inmate is scheduled to be put to death on October 29.
Tony Rizzo, trizzo@kcstar.com
This story was originally published September 29, 2014 at 9:06 AM with the headline "Execution date set for 1994 Independence killing."