Missouri Prosecutors Investigate Possible Mistaken 1995 Execution

Prosecutors in St. Louis are investigating the possibility that a man executed for a 1980 murder was innocent of the crime, Circuit Atty. Jennifer Joyce said Monday.

Larry Griffin, 40, was put to death June 21, 1995, at the Potosi Correctional Center for the June 26, 1980, killing of Quinton Moss in a drive-by shooting in St. Louis. Police said gunshots were fired from a moving car, striking Moss and another man. Moss was struck 13 times.

A witness gave police a description of the car and identified Griffin from police photos as the man in the front passenger seat who fired the shots. An investigation determined that Moss had been arrested earlier in 1980 in connection with the death of Dennis Griffin, Larry Griffin’s brother.

But Joyce said she was approached about three weeks ago by a group questioning whether Griffin committed the crime. That group included Barry Scheck, a noted attorney who specializes in DNA evidence; Sam Gross, a University of Michigan professor who looked into the case; and Saul Green, a noted Detroit attorney who is the lawyer for Moss’ family.

“They basically presented me with information that they felt created questions about the conviction of Larry Griffin,” Joyce said. “They shared with me some information they had received from other people which raised concerns enough in my mind where we reopened the file.”

There was no DNA evidence in the case, Joyce said. The group alleged that police failed to contact some witnesses and that Griffin’s defense was faulty.

Two homicide prosecutors are investigating, though Joyce declined to give a timetable on how long that investigation will take. She said she was particularly moved that the victim’s family now showed concern that the wrong man was convicted and executed.

“That’s very compelling to me,” Joyce said. “If the victim’s family doesn’t feel the right person was held responsible, and the actual killer is still out there, I’m going to do everything in my power to give them some closure, even though this individual has been executed.”

Missouri Atty. Gen. Jay Nixon’s office is in the process of providing files from the case to Joyce’s office, spokesman Scott Holste said. He said information in the case had received a full review from local and state courts and then-Gov. Mel Carnahan before the execution.