DLNews Crime:

A man from the U.S. state of Missouri was executed on Tuesday, although he had protested his innocence until the very end.

Raheem Taylor (58) had been convicted of murdering his partner and their three small children. He stated that he had been in another state at the time of the crime.

Taylor consistently claimed he was in California when Angela Rowe, her daughters Alexus Conley, 10, AcQreya Conley, 6, and her son Tyrese Conley, 5, were killed in Missouri in 2004. Taylor has been supported by various civil rights groups, but his claims of innocence have been repeatedly rejected.

Taylor and Angela Rowe lived with the children in a St. Louis suburb. On November 26, 2004, Taylor boarded a flight to California. On December 3, 2004, police were dispatched to the family's home after relatives had not heard from Rowe for several days. Officers found the bodies of Rowe and her children. All four had been shot.

That Taylor was not in Missouri when the bodies were found was not in question. However, it could not be determined precisely when his common-law wife and their three children were killed.

The coroner initially determined that the murders were likely committed within a few days before the bodies were discovered - when Taylor was in California. At trial, however, the coroner said the murders may have occurred two or three weeks before the bodies were found.

Bob McCulloch was St. Louis County prosecutor at the time of the murders. He called Taylor's protestations of innocence "nonsense" and his alibis "completely fabricated."

McCulloch told the A.P. news agency that evidence suggested Rowe and the children were killed on the night of Nov. 22 or 23 - when Taylor was still in St. Louis. Rowe typically made phone calls or texted about 70 times a day, he said. But, as of November 23, her cell phone had been silent, she said.

After Taylor's arrest, investigators could detect DNA traces of the slain woman on his glasses. In addition, he said a relative who was taking him to the airport at the time had seen Taylor throw a gun into the sewer. And Taylor had confessed the crime to his brother. Authorities believe Taylor shot his girlfriend during a heated argument and subsequently shot the children because they were witnesses.

Last week, St. Louis County Acting District Attorney Wesley Bell denied a request for a hearing. Reasoning that "the facts are not present to support a credible case of innocence."

On Monday, Gov. Mike Parson denied a clemency request, and the Missouri Supreme Court rejected a request for a stay. Then, on Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to intervene. That sealed Taylor's fate.

Taylor's execution was the fifth nationwide this year. All executions were by lethal injection.