The city of St. is located in the northeastern part of the United States If the governor doesn't grant clemency, McLaughlin will be the first openly trans woman executed in the US.
There are no court appeals pending.
McLaughlin's mental health issues, which the jury never heard in her trial, are included in the clemency request. The clemency petition states that a foster parent rubbed feces in her face when she was a toddler and her adoptive father used a stun gun on her. She has tried to kill herself multiple times.
A diagnosis of gender dysphoria is included in the petition as a result of a discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their assigned sex at birth.
According to her attorney, there's a lot of hate when it comes to that issue. McLaughlin's sexual identity is not the focus of the clemency request.
The clemency request is still being reviewed, according to Jones.
There is no known case of an openly trans person being put to death in the U.S. McLaughlin's personality blossomed while she was in prison, according to her friend.
McLaughlin was in a relationship with another woman. According to court records, McLaughlin would show up at the suburban office where Guenther worked. Police officers sometimes escorted her to her car after work.
Her neighbors called the police when she failed to return home. There was a trail of blood and a broken knife near her car. The body had been dumped near the Mississippi River.
McLaughlin was found guilty of first degree murder. McLaughlin was sentenced to death by a judge after a jury couldn't agree on a punishment. A federal appeals court panel reinstated the death penalty in 2021.
Jessica Hicklin, who spent 26 years in prison for a drug-related killing, is one of the people who knewAmber before she transitioned. She was not old enough to vote. She was released in January 2022.
Hicklin began transitioning while in prison and in 2016 sued the Missouri Department ofCorrections, challenging a policy that prevented hormone therapy for inmates who weren't receiving it before being imprisoned. She was a mentor to other inmates after winning the lawsuit.
Hicklin said McLaughlin was so shy they rarely interacted. McLaughlin turned to Hicklin for help with issues such as mental health counseling and getting help to ensure her safety inside a male-dominated maximum-security prison as she transitioned about three years ago.
Hicklin helped her learn to file the right things and talk to the right people.
A friendship was formed in the process.
Hicklin said that they would sit down once a week and chat. She had a good laugh and always had a smile. It was always with the dad jokes when you spoke to her.
They talked about how to get feminine items in a male prison, how to deal with rude comments, and how to stay safe.
McLaughlin was still worried about her well-being.
Hicklin said that the person was a vulnerable one. It's more common for trans people in the Department of Correction to be afraid of being raped or murdered.
Bonnie B. Heady was the only person put to death in Missouri. Heady and Carl Austin Hall were put to death in the same way.
There were two executions in Missouri in the year 2000. Kevin Johnson was executed for the murder of a police officer. Carmen Deck was put to death in May for the murders of James and Zelma Long.
Leonard Taylor was sentenced to death for killing his girlfriend and three children.
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