Missouri governor commutes sentence for condemned man

"At the same time, however, I am using my authority under the Missouri Constitution to commute Edwards' sentence to life without the possibility of parole," the Democratic governor said. "This is a step not taken lightly, and only after significant consideration of the totality of the circumstances. With this decision, Kimber Edwards will remain in prison for the remainder of his life for this murder."

It was the second time Nixon has commuted a death sentence to life in prison, the last one in 2011. But Nixon's statement did not give an explanation for his decision. A message left with Nixon's spokesman was not immediately returned.

Edwards' attorney, Jeremy Weis, said he was "extremely ecstatic."

"The argument we made was there is a real question as to Kimber's innocence in this case and I think he took that seriously," Weis said.

Prosecutors said Edwards, now 51, hired Orthell Wilson to kill Kimberly Cantrell because Edwards didn't want to have to pay child support.

Orthell Wilson was sentenced to life in prison after a plea deal in which he agreed to cooperate against Edwards.

Both men initially confessed, but Edwards and his supporters noted this week that Wilson said in an affidavit earlier this year that he was trying to save himself from the death penalty when he cooperated against Edwards.

Meanwhile, Edwards has recanted his confession. In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Edwards said he was coerced into confessing when police threatened to charge the woman he married after divorcing Cantrell and take away their children.

"If they dangle your wife and children over a cliff and tell you they're going to drop them, you're going to do whatever you have to do to save them," Edwards said in a phone interview.

The Associated Press