Rally against death penalty planned for 39th and Troost Oct. 6

Midtown residents are among those protesting a planned execution by the State of Missouri.

The state is set to put Kimber Edwards to death between 6 p.m. October 6th and 5:59 p.m. October 7^th. Kimber received a capital sentence, after he allegedly hired Orthel Wilson to kill his ex-wife, Kimberly Cantrell.

According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Orthel has now fully accepted responsibility for the homicide, stating that Kimber Edwards played no role in the murder.

Local organizers with Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty says another issue of concern is that Kimber Edwards is African American and yet the jury of his peers in St. Louis County was all white.

They’re urging people to call to governor to protest the execution. If that effort if unsuccessful, they will hold a rally at the corner of 39^th and Troost on Oct. 6 from 5 to 6 p.m.

Following the Final Watch, Glenn Ladd, former North Kansas City Police Chief, will speak at 7 PM at All Soul’s UU Church, 4501 Walnut St.

Anti-death-penalty advocates also say Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., a Roman Catholic nun, and a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty, will be in Kansas City on Friday, October 30^th from 7 to 9 p.m., at Unity on the Plaza.