Their dads faced execution in Missouri. Their grief lives on

Of the past 10 people who have faced execution in Missouri, at least six had children. For kids of people on death row, there are complicated emotions and little support.

For Father’s Day, Summer Shockley drove 60 or so miles from her home in Rolla through central Missouri to see her dad at Potosi Correctional Center.

Lance Shockley, 48, was convicted by a jury for the 2005 murder of Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Dewayne Graham Jr. A judge sentenced him to death in 2009.

That day in June, Summer and several other family members were invited inside the prison for a restoration visit, where families were given unusual access to the facility.

They ate lunch and played pickleball. Later, the family clasped hands and prayed in a circle.

“It was just a really, really neat day,” said