Missouri Finally Executes Brian Dorsey for 2006 Double Murder Of Cousin and Brother-in-law

BONNE TERRE, Mo. — In a somber and long-awaited conclusion, the state of Missouri executed Brian Dorsey on Tuesday for the brutal 2006 murders of his cousin, Sarah Bonnie, and her husband, Benjamin Bonnie.

The chilling attack left the couple’s 4-year-old daughter alone and unharmed, forever scarred by the violence that unfolded in their home near New Bloomfield, just north of Jefferson City.

On December 23, 2006, tragedy struck the Bonnie family. Prosecutors revealed that earlier that day, Dorsey had reached out to Sarah Bonnie, seeking financial assistance to pay off two drug dealers who were haunting his apartment.

That fateful night, after the Bonnies had retired to bed, Dorsey retrieved a shotgun from their garage.

He mercilessly gunned down both Sarah and Benjamin before committing a heinous act of sexual assault against Sarah’s lifeless body.

In a desperate bid to settle his drug debt, Dorsey pilfered several items from the house.

The following day, Sarah Bonnie’s parents grew concerned when the couple failed to appear at a family gathering.

They arrived at the Bonnie residence to find their 4-year-old granddaughter sitting on the couch, watching TV. The child innocently informed them, “Mommy won’t wake up.” The horrifying truth unfolded as they discovered the lifeless bodies of their daughter and son-in-law.

Brian Dorsey surrendered to law enforcement on December 26, 2006.

His subsequent trial led to a guilty verdict, and on August 28, 2008, he was sentenced to death.

Throughout the years, Dorsey appealed his sentence, but his fate remained sealed. Seventy-two current and former Department of Corrections officers signed a clemency petition, emphasizing Dorsey’s good behavior and rehabilitation.

However, Missouri Governor Mike Parson ultimately rejected their plea.

As the clock ticked toward 6:11 p.m., Dorsey lay on the gurney at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre.

A single-dose injection of the sedative pentobarbital flowed into his veins. His breaths grew shallow, and his eyes blinked hard.

In a final statement, Dorsey expressed remorse and sorrow for the lives he had taken. “Words cannot hold the just weight of my guilt and shame,” he wrote. “I never wanted to hurt anyone. I am sorry I hurt them and you.”

Dorsey’s execution reignited debates about Missouri’s single-drug protocol, which lacks provisions for anesthetics.

Five jurors who had served during the penalty phase of Dorsey’s trial also pleaded for mercy from the governor.

Former Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Wolff highlighted “a rare failing of the legal system itself” and urged clemency. But the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of Dorsey’s final appeals sealed his fate.