Ann Marie Harrison (February 22, 1974 – March 22, 1989) was a 15-year-old American girl who was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by two men in

Raytown, Missouri Raytown is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County, Missouri, United States, and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City. The population was at 30,012 in 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The current mayor of Raytown ...

. On March 22, 1989, Harrison was abducted from outside her home as she waited for the school bus. She was taken to a house where she was raped by her abductors before being stabbed to death in the trunk of a car. Her two killers: Michael Anthony Taylor (January 30, 1967 – February 26, 2014) and Roderick Nunley (March 10, 1965 – September 1, 2015) were executed for the crime by the state of

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

via

lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium) for the express purpose of causing death. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but t ...

, in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Background

Ann Marie Harrison was born on February 22, 1974, in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

. She attended

Raytown South High School Raytown South Senior High School is a high school located in Raytown, Missouri. The school was established in 1961, and graduated its first class of seniors in 1964. As Raytown became less of a "destination-suburb" in the 1990s, the enrollment f ...

where she was a freshman honor student.

Murder

On March 22, 1989, Harrison left her home to go to school and waited for the school bus outside her house. As she waited by the mailbox, a blue '84 Monte Carlo pulled up next to her. Inside the vehicle, which was stolen, were Taylor and Nunley. One of the two men exited the vehicle and asked Harrison for directions. As the man approached her, he pulled her towards him and forced her into the front of the vehicle. The men then sped off with Harrison in the car. A girl waiting for a bus spotted the vehicle speeding past her moments later. Meanwhile, the school bus arrived at Harrison's home and sounded the horn, but no one came. The driver noticed Harrison's books, purse, and flute case had been left by the mailbox. As the bus driver waited and sounded the horn, Harrison's mother came outside to see what was happening. Figuring her daughter was still inside the house, she instructed the bus driver to move on, saying she would drive her to school. After searching the house, Harrison's mother grew concerned when there was no sign of her. She headed to a neighbor's house and then called her husband and the police. Harrison was driven to the home of Nunley's mother. Inside the vehicle, the men blindfolded her and threatened to kill her if she continued to scream. After parking in the garage, the two men led Harrison inside and took her to the basement. Both men then took turns raping her. Afterward, the men discussed what to do with her. Not wanting to let her go because she had seen their faces, the men told her to get into the trunk of the vehicle. As Harrison pleaded with them to let her live, both men stabbed her to death with kitchen knives as she lay in the trunk of the car. They then drove the car to a quiet street and left the area in another vehicle. Later on, local media began broadcasting the news of Harrison's disappearance. Thirty-six hours after Harrison's abduction, a neighbor reported the abandoned blue '84 Monte Carlo. When police checked the license, they learned the vehicle had been stolen. After calling the owner to collect it, he arrived and opened the trunk, discovering Harrison's body. Three months after Harrison's murder, the reward for information leading to the capture of her killers had reached $9,000. A tipster then told police about Taylor and Nunley. When they were brought in, both confessed, but each blamed the other as the instigator of the crime. However, the semen and hair matched Taylor.

Trials

Both men waived trials and pleaded guilty before a judge. On May 3, 1991, the judge sentenced both men to death. In 1993, the

Supreme Court of Missouri The Supreme Court of Missouri (SCOMO) is the highest court in the state of Missouri. It was established in 1820 and is located at 207 West High Street in Jefferson City, Missouri. Missouri voters have approved changes in the state's constituti ...

overturned the death sentences for Nunley and Taylor without commenting or providing a reason for doing so. Both men were then retried. On May 10, 1994, Nunley was sentenced to death for the second time. In addition, the judge sentenced him to life in prison for rape, life in prison for armed criminal action, and fifteen years for kidnapping. On June 17, 1994, Taylor was also sentenced to death for the second time. The judge also sentenced Taylor to life in prison for rape, fifty years for armed criminal action, and fifteen years for kidnapping. The sentences were to run consecutively.

Appeals

Taylor was first scheduled to be executed on February 1, 2006, but was granted a

stay Stay may refer to: Places * Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US Law * Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment * Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tr ...

by the

United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts: * Eastern District of Arkansas * Western ...

, on the grounds that

in his case could be

cruel and unusual punishment Cruel and unusual punishment is a phrase in common law describing punishment that is considered unacceptable due to the suffering, pain, or humiliation it inflicts on the person subjected to the sanction. The precise definition varies by jurisdi ...

. Missouri asked the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

to vacate the stay, allowing the execution. Justice

Samuel Alito Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was Samuel Alito Supreme Court ...

, in his first official act on the Supreme Court, voted with the majority (6–3) to refuse

's request. Alito's vote made headlines because he did not vote with Justices

Antonin Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectual an ...

Clarence Thomas Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served since 1991 as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. President George H. W. Bush nominated him to succeed Thurgood Marshall. Afte ...

and Chief Justice

John Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American jurist serving since 2005 as the 17th chief justice of the United States. He has been described as having a Moderate conservatism, moderate conservative judicial philosophy, thoug ...

, said to be the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

wing of the court. In 2006, Nunley was accused of attacking a manager at the

Potosi Correctional Center Potosi Correctional Center (PCC) is a Missouri Department of Corrections prison located in unincorporated Washington County, Missouri, near Mineral Point. The facility houses 897 inmates as of the 2020 U.S. census. It is a Level 5 maximum secu ...

, where he was being held. Officials said Nunley stabbed the manager in the head, collarbone, and back with a metal shard. The manager survived the attack. On August 19, 2010, it was announced that Nunley was to be executed on October 20, 2010. However, he was later granted a stay of execution by a federal judge.

Executions

On February 26, 2014, Taylor was executed via lethal injection, after last minute appeals questioning the reliability of Missouri's new, unnamed supplier of the execution drug

pentobarbital Pentobarbital (US) or pentobarbitone (British and Australian) is a short-acting barbiturate typically used as a sedative, a preanesthetic, and to control convulsions in emergencies. It can also be used for short-term treatment of insomnia but ...

were turned down. He became the fourth person to be executed in Missouri in four months. On September 1, 2015, Nunley was executed, also via lethal injection, after three

issued orders denying him a stay of execution. He was 50 years old. The appeals pending before the Court questioned the constitutionality of the death penalty, the sentencing of Nunley before a jury rather than a judge, and the secrecy of the state of Missouri in acquiring the drug used to perform the execution.

References