Rayfield Newlon was under a death sentence for a murder in the late 1970’s and once was a leading candidate to be the first inmate executed after reinstatement of the death penalty in Missouri. In 1989 an appeals court vacated his death sentence and ordered the state to either resentence him to life without parole for 50 years or have a new penalty phase trial for him. Offender Rayfield Newlon was resentenced from the death penalty on Nov. 21, 1990 to life without parole. He is now at Jefferson City Correctional Center.