Death Penalty Litigation Clinic
A Non-Profit Law Firm Dedicated to the Defense of Persons Sentenced to Death Row
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DPLC represents individuals – and offers support to defense attorneys who represent individuals- who are sentenced to death row.  We specialize in post-conviction defense and mitigation investigation, and pre-authorization mitigation investigation, as well as clemency.
DPLC also tracks all Eighth Circuit death penalty cases and publishes a newsletter of updates on capital defense within the Eighth Circuit.
Staff Attorneys, Joseph Luby and Jennifer Merrigan, are both recipients of Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyer’s prestigious Atticus Finch Award.
WELCOME OUR NEWEST BOARD MEMBER
Darryl Burton 
In 1984, Darryl Burton went to PRISON for a crime he did not commit.  After 24 years in prison, Darryl Burton was exonerated.  Darryl brings important perspectives and ideas to our board.  We are thrilled to have him.
NOTEWORTHY NEWS
RICK CLAY RECEIVES CLEMENCY
On January 10, 2011 Governor Nixon granted clemency to Richard Clay, commuting his sentence to life without parole.  Rick was scheduled to be executed at 12:01 on January 12, 2011, despite overwhelming evidence that he is innocent and that his conviction and sentence were a result of prosecutorial misconduct by Kenny Hulshof.  Two courts have found that Hulshof’s misconduct resulted in wrongful convictions of innocent defendants.  Joshua Kezer was freed in 2008 after 14 years of wrongful incarceration and in December 2010, Dale Helmig, who DPLC attorneys have fought for for over a decade, finally walked out of prison a free man. 
DPLC developed a video of testimony in support of clemency for Rick Clay’s defense team.  That video can be found here: 
Richard Clay Clemency Video Part 1 
Richard Clay Clemency Video Part 2 
SUZANNE SQUIRES RECEIVES CLEMENCY
On December 9, 2010, Governor Charlie Crist granted clemency to Suzanne Squires and ordered her to be released from prison immediately.  Suzanne spent 11 years in prison after a drunk driving accident which killed her youngest daughter.  Her two children, Casey and Kristen, who visited their mother in prison every Saturday for 11 years, along with Suzanne’s Church community, and the other driver, who was injured in the accident, went to Tallahassee, along with DPLC attorney, Jennifer Merrigan and former DPLC director, Terri Backhus, to ask the governor for mercy.  Suzanne’s children got to spend Christmas with their mother this year for the first time in 11 years.  We are all extremely grateful. 
Many of those supporters speak out in a clemency video developed by DPLC staff and attorneys: 
Suzanne Squires Clemency Video part 1 
Suzanne Squires Clemency Vide