Abolishes the death penalty and specifies that any person sentenced to death must be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole

HB 1882 abolishes the death penalty in Missouri and mandates that anyone convicted of first-degree murder be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, unless the governor grants a pardon. The bill repeals existing statutes that allowed for capital punishment and replaces them with provisions ensuring that all homicide convictions result in a fixed term of incarceration. Additionally, the legislation outlines specific rules for how charges are joined in court and clarifies sentencing guidelines for various felony and misdemeanor offenses. This change directly affects the state's criminal justice system by removing the option of execution and standardizing the maximum penalty for the most serious crimes.