PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
  1. Signatures
    37 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. Mayme Miller
  2. Created By
    Matt Kelley
    New Haven, CT
About this Petition Petition Letter

Dennis Skillicorn is scheduled to be executed at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20, in Missouri. He admits to being present at the crimes but says he did not pull the trigger. He agrees that he deserves to be in prison for what he did, but he has changed his life in prison and come to provide support and inspiration for people inside and outside of prison. The execution of someone with his impact and potential is a cruel and unproductive punishment.

Skillicorn runs one organization that aids sick or dying prisoners and another that supports victims of crimes. He has a family outside of prison that relies on him.

Take action on this case today and call on Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to commute Skillicorn's sentence to life.

Recent Signatures

Please Commute Dennis Skillicorn's Sentence

Dear Gov. Nixon,

I'm writing to ask you to commute the sentence of Missouri death row inmate Dennis Skillicorn.

I believe your state will make an enourmous mistake if it executes Mr. Skillicorn, a man who has changed his life in prison to become a positive force of healing and compassion for victims of crime and his fellow prisoners. He is a strong example of the power of individuals to reform in prison and the power of your state's Department of Corrections to facilitate that growth. Now the state plans to wipe out that progress with Mr. Skillicorn's execution on Wednesday.

Although Mr. Skillicorn admits that he deserves to be punished for his crimes, I believe the death penalty is not the answer. It sends the message that redemption is not possible in Missouri, that vengence, not rehabilitation, is the goal of your state's criminal justice system.

Mr. Skillicorn is contributing to society from his cell - he publishes a magazine and has organized scholarships for families of crime victims. Don't end the life of this man who has become a positive example of the ability of humans to change. He's having a positive impact on the world from his cell, and there will be no healing when he is killed.

Please commute Mr. Skillicorn's sentence.

[Your name]

Press Inquiries