MISSOURI – The Supreme Court of Missouri has ordered an execution date for a man convicted in a girl’s death nearly two decades ago.
A jury in Phelps County, Missouri convicted Christopher L. Collings of first-degree murder and fixing punishment at death in May 2012. The conviction stemmed from the death of nine-year-old girl Rowan Ford in 2007.
On Tuesday, the state ordered the execution for 6 p.m. on December 3, 2024. The execution will happen under the supervision and direction of the director of the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Collings’ attorneys requested an appeal of the murder conviction in July 2012. After years of court proceedings, the State of Missouri filed a motion in April to set an execution date.
Missouri has carried out two executions this year – Brian Joseph Dorsey on April 9 and David Russell Hosier on June 11. The state currently has two others scheduled between Collings and Marcellus Scott Williams, with a scheduled execution date of Sept. 24, 2024.
