A father left behind a mysterious final message before facing execution on death row for the murder of a police officer. Lance Shockley, aged 48, consistently professed his innocence despite being convicted of killing Sergeant Carl Dewayne Graham Junior. In a plea for clemency, Shockley made a last-minute appeal before the execution in Bonne Terre, Missouri, but his requests were denied by the US Supreme Court. On the day of the execution, Shockley’s head was raised on a pillow in the death chamber at the prison while he communicated with loved ones in the adjacent witness room. In a enigmatic written statement, Shockley expressed, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”
Following Samuel Lee Smithers’ execution for the murder of two women in 1996 in Florida, Shockley became the 14th person executed in Missouri in 2025. Despite protests against both executions, Missouri Governor Michael Leo Kehoe emphasized the state’s support for law enforcement, stating, “Violence against those who risk their lives every day to protect our communities will never be tolerated.”
After Shockley’s execution, Sgt. Graham Jr.’s family released a statement reflecting on the profound loss they have endured since the officer’s death in 2005. Shockley fatally shot the 37-year-old officer outside his home in Van Buren, Missouri, while the officer was investigating Shockley for involuntary manslaughter. Shockley’s legal team’s attempts to halt the execution for DNA testing of evidence found at the crime scene were unsuccessful. Shockley, a father of two daughters, became the first person executed in Missouri in 2025, with no further executions scheduled for the year.
