Christopher Collings was executed in Missouri for the rape and murder of a nine-year-old

Christopher Leroy Collings was executed by lethal injection in Missouri for the 2007 rape and murder of 9-year-old Rowan Ford.
In his final statement, Collings expressed remorse and apologized for the pain he had caused.
This execution is the 23rd in the United States this year and the fourth in Missouri.

Missouri executed death row inmate Christopher Leroy Collings on Tuesday, 17 years after he confessed to raping and killing his friend’s 9-year-old stepdaughter.

Collings, 49, was executed by lethal injection as the mother of his victim, nine-year-old Rowan Ford, watched him die along with other witnesses in the death chamber of the Potosi Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri.

Collings, himself the father of two now-grown daughters, was convicted on Nov. 3, 2007, of Rowan’s murder in the tiny southwest Missouri village of Stella. He confessed to police that he kidnapped a sleeping Rowan from her bedroom and took her to his trailer, where he raped and strangled her, according to court documents.

Collings was the 23rd inmate executed in the U.S. this year and the fourth in Missouri, one of the states with the highest death penalty in the country.

Here’s what you need to know about Collings’ execution.

What were Christopher Collings’ last words?

In his final words written before his execution, Collings said: “Right or wrong, I accept this situation as it is.”

He also apologized.

“To everyone I have hurt in this life, I am sorry,” he wrote. “I hope you are able to find closure and move on.”

He continued, saying, “No matter what side of this situation you are on, you are in my prayers and I hope to see you in heaven one day.”

It was not immediately clear Tuesday evening whether he said those words aloud in the death chamber, but death row inmates are typically given time to say their final words aloud.

Collings’ lawyers, at least one of whom witnessed the execution, said in a statement afterwards: “Chris was taken from this earth too soon.”

“We share Chris’ wish that his death provides some closure for the victim’s family and that the people he hurt can move on,” the team said. “However, what happened today was an act of revenge but will not define Chris or be the way we remember him.”

What was Christopher Collings convicted of?

On the night of November 2, 2007, Collings was drinking heavily with two friends. One of the friends, David Spears, had a 9-year-old stepdaughter named Rowan Ford, whose mother worked her night shift at Walmart.

At some point that night, the men left Rowan home alone and began hanging out at Colling’s trailer. As the third friend drove Spears home on back roads to avoid being pulled over, Collings later told police that he ran to Spears’ house, kidnapped a sleeping Rowan, put her in his truck and took her to his trailer, according to court documents .

Once there, he raped her, police said. Afterward, he said he had planned to walk her home but “freaked out” when she recognized him in the moonlight. In the process, he strangled her, court documents say.

Collings said he then dumped her body into a cave. She was found on November 9, about a week after her disappearance sparked an Amber Alert and an intensive search.

Collings lost his last chances for a reprieve on Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a stay of execution and Republican Gov. Michael Parson denied him a pardon.

Who was Rowan Ford?

News of Rowan’s disappearance, which came to light when her mother returned home from work and couldn’t find the girl, was shocking to her small community in Stella, which is home to fewer than 200 people. Much of the town joined in the search for Rowan, known as a bubbly little girl who was always riding her purple bike, working hard at school and having her bedroom painted Barbie pink.

“I’m so proud of the girl she’s become,” Rowan’s older sister Ariane Macks told USA TODAY this week. “A part of me died when my sister died. I lost my ray of sunshine… She was very shy, but when she opened up it was like the whole room lit up. Rowan, she was very special.”

The morning before Rowan’s funeral, teachers and students at Rowan’s school planted a pink dogwood tree in her honor and released purple balloons with notes from their classmates attached. A concrete angel and a marker with the inscription “11. April 1998” for the day of her birth and “9. November 2007” for the day her body was found.

Macks, now 35 and living in Lineville, Alabama, said Collings deserved to be executed for her sister’s murder, but that lethal injection wasn’t enough.

“I wanted him dead, I still do… but they could have done something better than a lethal injection because he gets off easy,” she said. “I can’t imagine the pain when (Rowan) was strangled. Since Chris was so big and tall compared to my little sister, she had no chance of fighting.”

Who was Christopher Collings?

Collings was a problem child who never formed an emotional bond with anyone because he suffered severe neglect from his birth parents and suffered multiple traumas after being placed in foster care, including at least two rapes, his lawyers argued during his trial.

Collings and his five older siblings ended up in the system – and separated from each other – because their parents “were involved in a lot of crime, involved in a lot of drug abuse,” his then-attorney Charles Moreland told jurors, adding that “the evidence was too will show that seeds of redemption lie dormant within Christopher Collings.”

Collings eventually became a father to two daughters but struggled with alcohol and marijuana addictions, according to court records. Macks recalled Collings’ drinking problem and said he became a different person when drunk.

In their statement after the execution, Collings’ legal team described him as six feet tall, “but he was truly a gentle giant.”

“His booming voice followed by a big grin would greet you every time he walked into the room,” they said. “Chris declined our offers for a handshake and always gave you a big hug.”

They added that Collings “loved and valued his children more than life itself.”

“He constantly talked about his daughters and his regret that he had not been a part of their lives growing up,” they said. “He has worked for years to build relationships with his daughters and those efforts have paid off in recent years. Chris spent hours talking to his daughters, and those moments gave him hope and satisfaction knowing they had grown into successful young women.”

In his argument for sparing Collings’ life, Weis raised questions about his client’s confession, saying it was not recorded and was turned over to then-Wheaton Police Chief Clinton Clark, who had been convicted four times of unauthorized absence from office and would never do so probably was accepted into the force. He highlighted Spears’ own confession to the crime, saying it cast even more doubt that Collings’ alleged confession was true and pointing out the extreme discrepancy in the two men’s verdicts.

Christopher Collings was executed in Missouri for the rape and murder of a nine-year-old

ByAmelia Journalton

By Amelia Journalton

Related Post

Be prepared for strong thunderstorms in southwest Mississippi Saturday morning

Bill Clinton’s “List” desire to make secret documents public

Where was “The Inheritance” (2024) filmed? All filming locations explored

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You missed

Be prepared for strong thunderstorms in southwest Mississippi Saturday morning

Bill Clinton’s “List” desire to make secret documents public

Where was “The Inheritance” (2024) filmed? All filming locations explored

Empoli vs Genoa prediction, lineups, betting tips and odds