By Missy Shelton/AP
Jefferson City, MO. – The Missouri Probation and Parole Board voted to grant Donald Jones' clemency 5-2, but Governor Matt Blunt disagrees.
Blunt says the death penalty is the appropriate punishment for Jones, who killed his grandmother, Dorothy Knuckles, in St. Louis in 1993.
The governor says he doesn't have a problem with the state parole board. He simply disagrees with its recommendation.
"I think they're trying to provide a thoughtful recommendation. Certainly I wouldn't want to question their motives,"
Blunt said. "I obviously review their recommendation. It does cause you to look at certain elements of the case. It's helpful as you make that decision. But I'm obviously not following their recommendation."
Jones is scheduled to be executed Wednesday morning just after midnight. He will be the first inmate to be put to death at the prison in Bonne Terre.