Supreme Court won’t halt Barton execution

The Missouri Supreme Court has declined to halt the execution of Walter Barton set for May 19.

In a late afternoon opinion issued on April 27, the court unanimously ruled that Barton had failed to show either that he is actually innocent of his crimes or that he has a mental condition making him incompetent to be executed.

Barton was tried five times for the 1991 murder of Gladys Kuehler, a mobile home park manager in Ozark who was stabbed more than 50 times in her home. Barton had gone to her trailer that day to borrow money, and her blood was found on his clothes.

In a writ of habeas corpus submitted to the court on filings, Barton argued that an expert witness could have disputed how the blood came to be on his clothes. He also argued that he had evidence that impeached the testimony of a jailhouse informant who testified against him.

But the court said in its unsigned opinion that both pieces of evidence were available during his earlier trials, and neither exonerated him.

Barton also claimed that a traumatic brain injury gave him a major neurocognitive disorder that made him incompetent to be executed. But the court said his mental evaluation shows he understands the reasons for his punishment and is not delusional. That means he meets the U.S. Supreme Court’s standard allowing him to be executed.

The court also denied a stay of execution that Barton had filed separately.

The case is State ex rel. Barton v. Stange, SC98343.