Latest: Missouri man executed for killing deputy, 2 others

A man who killed two people in a drug dispute and a sheriff's deputy in a subsequent shootout has been put to death in what could be Missouri's last execution for some time.

Forrest went to the home of Harriett Smith in 2002 and demanded that she fulfill her promise to buy a lawn mower and mobile home for him in exchange for introducing her to a source for methamphetamine.

[...] the remaining 25 death row inmates either have appeals still pending or other reasons they will not face imminent execution.

An activist who opposes the death penalty has been temporarily detained at the Missouri Capitol after attempting to enter the governor's office.

Jeff Stack was handcuffed and detained for trespassing Wednesday when he tried to open a door leading from the public waiting area to the inner office of Gov. Jay Nixon.

Forrest is scheduled to die Wednesday evening at the state prison in Bonne Terre for the 2002 killings of Harriett Smith and Michael Wells in a drug dispute and Dent County Sheriff's Deputy JoAnn Barnes in a subsequent shootout at Forrest's home.

The pace of executions is expected to slow because most of the remaining death row inmates have pending appeals or have been declared unfit for execution.

An appeal is still pending before the U.S. Supreme Court on the claim that the death penalty amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

The pace of executions is expected to slow because most of the remaining death row inmates have pending appeals or have been declared unfit for execution.

The pace of executions is expected to slow because most of the remaining death row inmates have pending appeals or have been declared unfit for execution.