Christopher Collings, convicted of the 2007 rape and murder of nine-year-old Rowan Ford, was executed in Missouri. Despite a last-minute appeal by his lawyers, which was denied, Collings faced lethal injection following the rejection of his clemency request by Governor Mike Parson. The case was mired in controversy over witness credibility and questions about the involvement of the victim’s stepfather. This execution marks one of 23 carried out in the U.S. this year amidst ongoing debates about the death penalty.