US carries out 1st execution of openly transgender woman

Amber McLaughlin, convicted of killing ex-girlfriend, dies by lethal injection

By Betul Yuruk

NEW YORK (AA) - US authorities carried out the first execution of an openly transgender woman Tuesday for the 2003 rape and murder of a former girlfriend in the state of Missouri.

Amber McLaughlin, 49, was put to death by lethal injection after a clemency request was declined, according to reports.

The execution went ahead after Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced that it would proceed as planned.

McLaughlin, who transitioned in prison, experienced a traumatic childhood and mental health issues and had attempted suicide several times, according to the clemency petition filed by her lawyer, Larry Komp.

In 2003, McLaughlin, then known as Scott, raped and stabbed a former girlfriend to death and dumped her body in St. Louis near the Mississippi River.

Kaynak: