Walter Barton was put to death by lethal injection in Missouri for fatally stabbing an 81-year-old woman nearly three decades ago. It was the first U.S. execution since the coronavirus pandemic took hold, the Associated Press reports. Barton, 64, had long maintained he was innocent of killing Gladys Kuehler. His case was tied up for years due to appeals, mistrials and two overturned convictions. His fate was sealed when neither the courts nor Gov. Mike Parson intervened. Concerns related to coronavirus caused several states to postpone or cancel executions over the past 2 ½ months. Until Tuesday, no one had been executed in the U.S. since Nathaniel Woods was put to death in Alabama on March 5. Ohio, Tennessee and Texas were among states calling off executions.
The last execution in Texas, the busiest capital punishment state, was Feb. 6. Seven executions that were scheduled since then have been delayed. Six delays had some connection to the pandemic while the seventh was related to claims that a death row inmate is intellectually disabled. Barton’s attorney, Fred Duchardt Jr., and attorneys for death row inmates in the other states argued that the pandemic prevented them from safely conducting thorough investigations for clemency petitions and last-minute appeals. They said they were unable to obtain records or conduct interviews due to closures. Attorneys also expressed concerns about interacting with individuals and possibly being exposed to the virus, and they worried that the close proximity of witnesses and staff at executions could lead to spread of COVID-19. Barton was executed at a prison in Bonne Terre, 60 miles south of St. Louis, with no confirmed cases of the virus. Strict protocols were in place to protect workers and visitors from exposure.