KC Reporter

Governor Mike Kehoe has announced that he will not grant clemency to Lance Shockley, who was convicted of murdering Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Carl DeWayne Graham, Jr. in 2005.

According to the governor's office, Shockley ambushed and killed Sergeant Graham while the officer was investigating a manslaughter case involving Shockley. The incident occurred after Jeffrey Bayless died as a passenger in a car allegedly driven by Shockley under the influence of alcohol. The governor’s statement detailed that Shockley went to Sergeant Graham’s home and shot him from behind with a rifle, paralyzing him, before fatally shooting him with a shotgun.

Governor Kehoe stated, “The murder of Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Carl DeWayne Graham, Jr., who was investigating Lance Shockley's criminal actions at the time, was an attack not only on a dedicated law enforcement officer, but on the rule of law itself. Violence against those who risk their lives every day to protect our communities will never be tolerated. Missouri stands firmly with our men and women in uniform.”

He continued, “Mr. Shockley has received every legal protection afforded to him under the Missouri and United States Constitutions, and his conviction and sentence will remain for his brutal and deliberate crime. The State of Missouri has—and will continue to—pursue justice to the fullest extent of the law. Carrying out Lance Shockley's sentence is evidence of our commitment to the pursuit of justice.”

Shockley was convicted unanimously by a jury for first-degree murder with three aggravating factors. His conviction has been reviewed and upheld by several courts including the Missouri Supreme Court, federal district court, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and United States Supreme Court.