Appeals court overturns stay of execution in Michael Tisius’ Missouri death penalty case

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A federal appeals court vacated a stay of execution that had temporarily halted the execution of Michael Tisius, scheduled for Tuesday at a prison in eastern Missouri. Tisius, 42, was convicted of killing two Randolph County jailers in 2000 during an escape attempt and was sentenced the death penalty. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough wrote that a brief stay of execution was warranted and ordered an evidentiary hearing. Attorneys for Tisius had argued that a juror was not qualified to serve on the jury because he could not read or write, a skill required by ...