Murder of Carl Graham Jr.

On the evening of November 26, 2004, Lance Collin Shockley and his sister-in-law's fiancé, Jeffrey Bayless, were involved in a truck accident near Van Buren, Missouri. Shockley sustained only minor injuries and left the scene after enlisting a local couple to help Bayless, who remained trapped in the vehicle and was later found to have been fatally injured. Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Carl Dewayne Graham Jr. investigated the crash, recovering crushed beer cans and a tequila bottle from inside the truck and a blood smear on its exterior. Shockley was named the prime suspect in a suspected DUI and in Bayless's death, which was classified as involuntary manslaughter.

On March 20, 2005, as Sergeant Graham—then a 12-year veteran of the Missouri State Highway Patrol—returned home from his patrol shift, he was shot and killed with a rifle. An autopsy found that one bullet was fired from behind him and severed his spinal cord at the neck, with two additional gunshot wounds to the face and shoulder, plus further trauma including multiple skull and rib fractures from impact with the pavement. Three days later, on March 23, 2005, Shockley was arrested in connection with the hit-and-run and was subsequently linked to Graham's murder. Officials believed his motive was to stop the ongoing crash investigation.

On March 29, 2005, Shockley, then 28, was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action; the following day prosecutors filed notice to seek the death penalty. After delays, his trial began on March 22, 2009, at the Howell County Circuit Court, following a venue change from Carter County. On March 27, 2009, a jury found Shockley guilty of first-degree murder after roughly three hours of deliberation. The following day, jurors deadlocked on whether to impose a death sentence or life without parole, leaving the sentencing decision to the trial judge under Missouri law. On May 22, 2009, Carter County Circuit Judge David Evans sentenced Shockley, then 32, to death.

Shockley pursued multiple appeals over the following years. The Missouri Supreme Court rejected his direct appeal in August 2013, and a post-conviction appeal was denied by Circuit Judge Kelly Parker in July 2017. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected further appeals in 2014 and 2016, and the Missouri Supreme Court dismissed another appeal on April 16, 2019, upholding both the conviction and sentence. His final appeal was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court on March 31, 2025.

The Missouri Supreme Court issued a death warrant on June 25, 2025, scheduling execution for October 14, 2025. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe denied clemency on October 13, 2025. Shockley, then 48, was executed by lethal injection at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center at 6:13 p.m. on October 14, 2025. He was the only person executed in Missouri in 2025.