Missouri veteran facing execution seeks clemency because of past trauma, public service

Attorneys for a man facing a June 11 execution date have asked Missouri Gov. Mike Parson to grant clemency to the 69-year-old veteran.

David Hosier was sentenced to death in 2013 for the murder of Angela Gilpin, 45. She and her husband, Rodney Gilpin, 61, were found dead Sept. 28, 2009, in the hallway of her Jefferson City apartment building.

Angela Gilpin and Hosier had been in a relationship before she ended up reconciling with her husband.

In a 19-page clemency petition, Hosier’s legal team says his life should be spared because he suffered a life-changing trauma as a teen when his father was killed in the line of duty as a police officer. They argued Hosier has a record of public service and has suffered recent health problems.

“David poses no threat to anyone else and executing an elderly man with heart failure does nothing to further the interests of justice,” his attorneys said in the clemency application.

Additionally, before he went to trial, prosecutors presented a plea offer of life in prison without parole, which Hosier rejected.

“It seems that if the prosecutor thought such a sentence was appropriate given all the facts, such a sentence should now be seriously considered,” the petition said.

Hosier’s attorneys met with Parson’s office this week.

“Governor Parson will review the case alongside his legal team and make his decision regarding clemency,” said Johnathan Shiflett, a spokesman for the governor’s office. “We will announce the Governor’s decision once it is made, typically at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled execution date.”

Parson has denied clemency in all 10 of the death penalty cases that have come across his desk. The state has executed five people since January 2023, including a man in April.

‘We remain hopeful’

As a boy, Hosier was particularly close to his father, Glen Hosier. They hunted and camped together, and went on ride-alongs in Glen Hosier’s patrol car.

When his father was shot in April 1971, the trajectory of David Hosier’s life changed. His mother was dealing with her own grief and wasn’t able to help her children through that emotional time, the petition said. David Hosier would sit by his father’s grave at night and cry, his family said.

“David would not be here but for the tragic murder of his father in the line of duty,” the petition said.

After his father’s death, David Hosier was sent to military school, where he was socially isolated.

At 19, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served six years, including in the naval communications unit where he had Top Secret clearance, the petition said.

After he was honorably discharged, he became a firefighter in Jefferson City.

Around 1986, Hosier’s mental health began to deteriorate. He was diagnosed with depression with psychotic features and bipolar disorder during an involuntary stay at a state hospital.

In 1992, he was arrested for battering his then-girlfriend. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and paroled in 1997.

Ten years later, he suffered a stroke which resulted in brain damage, according to the petition. Jurors were provided medical records about the stroke, but no experts testified. Four jurors that Hosier’s legal team spoke to said more information would have helped them decide the sentence.

The clemency application also said Hosier has had four violations since he arrived in prison in 2013 and has qualified for the Honor Dorm for much of his incarceration.

“We remain hopeful that Gov. Parson will spare the life of a veteran so close to Memorial Day,” Hosier’s attorney Jeremy Weis said.

This story was originally published May 31, 2024 at 1:41 PM.

Katie Moore

The Kansas City Star

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Katie Moore was an enterprise and accountability reporter for The Star. She covered justice issues, including policing, prison conditions and the death penalty. She is a University of Kansas graduate and began her career as a reporter in 2015 in her hometown of Topeka, Kansas.