In a final attempt to prevent the execution of David Hosier, advocates against the death penalty held a vigil outside Governor Mike Parson's office at the state Capitol on Tuesday. Hosier is scheduled to be executed at 6 p.m. on Tuesday evening, after Governor Parson denied his clemency request just a day prior.

Hosier was convicted of the 2009 murder of Angela Gilpin and her husband Rodney Gilpin in their Jefferson City apartment. Despite a unanimous jury verdict and the Missouri Supreme Court upholding the ruling in 2019, Hosier maintains his innocence. In a final statement of intent received by NBC News, he expressed his dismay over the defense strategy employed by his public defenders, who focused on the mental trauma he experienced after his father, an Indiana state trooper, was killed in the line of duty when Hosier was 16 years old.

Elyse Max, co-director of Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty (MADP), led the group of approximately a dozen protesters outside the governor's office. They presented an additional 600 signatures, adding to the 6,500 signatures already delivered last week, in an effort to persuade Governor Parson to halt the execution. Max criticized Governor Parson's track record on death penalty cases, highlighting that this would be the 11th execution under his watch and his 11th denial of clemency.

However, not all share the same sentiment. Chuck Lahmeyer, who stopped by the Capitol during the vigil, expressed support for Governor Parson's decision to proceed with Hosier's execution. Lahmeyer believed Hosier's crime of killing two people in cold blood over lover's jealousy warranted the ultimate punishment.

The debate over Hosier's fate raises broader concerns about the death penalty and the flaws within the criminal justice system. Max emphasized that all individuals sentenced to death in Missouri are poor and rely on the public defender's system. She argued that this systemic issue is impacting Hosier as an individual and called attention to the conditions of most first-degree murder trials.

While advocates against the death penalty claim that Hosier, like every incarcerated person, is more than his worst day, Lahmeyer supported the court rulings and believed that life in prison is not enough in some cases.

As the hours ticked closer to Hosier's scheduled execution, The Associated Press reported that he has come to "accept his fate." However, his supporters maintain hope until the very end, advocating for clemency due to Hosier's health conditions and arguing that he is no longer a threat to society.

With tensions high and arguments on both sides, the fate of David Hosier hangs in the balance as the scheduled execution time approaches.