Walter Blair Jr.

Walter Blair Jr. (September 29, 1960 – July 21, 1993), also known as Walter Junior Blair, was an American convicted murderer who was executed by the state of Missouri for the August 1979 murder of 21-year-old Katherine Jo Allen in Kansas City, Missouri. Blair was hired to murder Allen by Larry Jackson, who was accused of raping her, and wanted her dead to prevent her testimony. Blair was also accused of fatally shooting 16-year-old Sandy Shannon, however, the charges were ultimately dropped when witnesses refused to testify. Blair was executed in 1993 at the Potosi Correctional Center via lethal injection. At the time of his execution, he was Missouri's longest-serving death row inmate.

Early life Walter Blair Jr. was born on September 29, 1960, and came from a violent family. He was one of ten siblings and grew up in poverty. His mother suffered from mental illness and went no further in school than ninth grade. She would later go on to kill her common-law husband, Elton E. Gray, in 1978. Many of Walter Blair's other family members would go on to commit crimes, with his younger brother, Terry Blair, ultimately being convicted of murdering seven women. His body was found in a snowbank, and he had been killed by a shotgun blast to the back.

Trial Conviction On the morning of August 22, 1979, Blair was arrested at an apartment. He was taken into custody and did not resist arrest. The following day, the jury recommended he be sentenced to death. On January 14, 1981, he was formally sentenced to death. Jackson was never convicted of raping Allen but was sentenced to life in prison for an unrelated murder.

Appeal process After Blair was condemned to death row, a direct appeal was filed to the Missouri Supreme Court, but it was dismissed on August 31, 1982.

On September 24, 1990, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals denied Blair's appeal. A second appeal to the same appellate court was rejected on September 18, 1992.

Execution On July 13, 1993, Blair was scheduled for execution on July 21. In the days leading up to his execution, Jackson signed an affidavit saying he had hired another man, Ernest Jones, to murder Allen. Jones had been the main witness for the prosecution during Blair's trial. Six other affidavits were also filed by Blair's appeal lawyer from people claiming Jones had framed Blair for the murder, including Jones' brother and a former lover. The witnesses allegedly only came forward later because Jones was murdered in 1990. Blair had contended during his trial that Jones had been the one who had killed Allen. The prosecutor at Blair's trial countered this by saying Blair's seven-page confession in 1979 made it clear he was guilty. He also pointed out that Blair had told police where to find Allen's driver's license and burned checkbook, which were found hidden under a sewer near Blair's house. He had no final statement and declined to order a last meal.