Missouri to put Amber McLaughlin to death in first known U.S. execution of trans woman

Galen Bacharier, Springfield News-Leader
·1 min read
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JEFFERSON CITY — The state of Missouri will execute Amber McLaughlin on Tuesday evening, making her the first transgender woman to be executed in the United States after Gov. Mike Parson declined to grant clemency.

McLaughlin, 49, will die by injection for the 2003 killing of former girlfriend Beverly Guenther in St. Louis. She was convicted of first-degree murder in 2006, and a judge sentenced her to death after a jury deadlocked on punishment. A later appeals court ruling reinstated the death penalty.

This photo provided by the Federal Public Defender Office shows death row inmate Amber McLaughlin.
This photo provided by the Federal Public Defender Office shows death row inmate Amber McLaughlin.

Her attorneys had requested clemency, citing trauma in McLaughlin's childhood and mental health issues and that she had attempted suicide multiple times. That petition was declined by Parson, who ordered the execution to proceed Tuesday morning.

A small group of protesters gathered outside the Missouri Supreme Court in the state's capital city Tuesday morning, calling for the state to halt McLaughlin's execution.

"We have several (LGBTQ+) organizations who have supported us," said Michelle Smith, the co-director of Missourians Against the Death Penalty. "We're just trying ... and letting everybody know that these issues affect us all."

A group of protesters stand outside the Missouri Supreme Court in Jefferson City to protest the execution of Amber McLaughlin on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
A group of protesters stand outside the Missouri Supreme Court in Jefferson City to protest the execution of Amber McLaughlin on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

McLaughlin, who began transitioning about three years ago according to the Associated Press, is the first person executed in Missouri in 2023, after the state executed two people — Kevin Johnson and Carman Deck — in 2022. Nationally, 18 people were executed last year, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Missouri is set to execute Leonard Taylor, who killed his girlfriend and three children in 2004, in February. McLaughlin marks the sixth person executed in Missouri under Parson's tenure as governor.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri to execute Amber McLaughlin after governor declines clemency