Missouri executes killer in the 1987 murder
DOG3
Missouri executes killer in the 1987 murder of state trooper
BY NATALIE GOTT
The Associated Press
POTOSI, Mo. -- Glennon Paul Sweet was executed by injection early today for
killing a Missouri state trooper in 1987.
Sweet was declared dead just after midnight at the Potosi Correctional Center.
The U.S. Supreme Court and the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis
turned down Sweet's last-minute bids for a stay and a new hearing. Tuesday
night, Gov. Mel Carnahan declined to halt the execution.
Sweet was the third Missouri inmate to be executed this year and the 32nd since
the state reinstituted the death penalty in the 1980s.
Sweet was put to death for the fatal shooting of Missouri Highway Patrol
trooper Russell Harper of Springfield.
Earlier in the day, Sweet, who said he had found God while in prison, was
optimistic about his chances of avoiding execution.
``I'm blessed,'' Sweet said from his cell Tuesday. ``I've done my praying. I
ain't shot nobody.''
Sweet later had visits from friends, family members, his lawyer and a spiritual
adviser. He declined to order a last meal.
Sweet was convicted of killing Harper, 45, with an assault rifle after the
trooper stopped Sweet for speeding along U.S. 60, just east of Springfield in
southwest Missouri.
Sweet, 42, of rural Douglas County, maintained his innocence, claiming that he
didn't kill Harper. He said he was out for a drive that night, but said he was
on a different road when Harper was shot point-blank in the head.
Troopers caught up with Sweet two days later as he hid in the attic of a
friend's house in Springfield. He said he was hiding there because he knew
officers were looking for him and had heard he fit the description of the
killer.
At the time of his arrest, Sweet was wanted on gun and drug charges. ``I ain't
been no angel,'' he said after his trial. ``I ain't never shot nobody.''
The red pickup Sweet was believed to have been driving when Harper stopped him
was found near the friend's house. Prosecuting attorney Tom Mountjoy said Sweet
had removed the truck's bed, changed its tires and started to spray paint it by
the time police recovered the vehicle.
A rifle owned by Sweet was found in a car trunk nearby. State ballistics
specialists linked the rifle to the murder and said the weapon probably had
been converted for fully automatic fire.
More than 20 shots were fired at Harper. One shot in the forehead killed him.
Testimony during the trial showed that Sweet was delivering methamphetamine to
Springfield.
Sweet was convicted on a change of venue in Clay County. Clay County Circuit
Judge Glennon McFarland, nicknamed the ``hanging judge'' because of his
reputation for doling out the death penalty, followed the jury's recommendation
in January 1988 and ordered Sweet put to death.
In 1991, Pope John Paul II wrote a letter to then Gov. John Ashcroft, pleading
with him to spare Sweet's life. Ashcroft forwarded the letter, to the Division
of Probation and Parole. It had no effect on Sweet's case.
Last week, the Missouri Supreme Court turned down Sweet's request for a new
hearing.
Sweet claims he found God while in prison. He started participating in Native
American sweat lodge ceremonies. Some American Indians, including Sweet,
believe they cannot pray unless their souls are purified. The state turned down
his request for a final sweat lodge ceremony, citing safety reasons.
Copyright (c) 1998, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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Morientis ori.
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