Republican Gov. Mike Parson denied a clemency request, describing the crime as one of the most horrific he had encountered.
Johnny Johnson, 45, has been executed in Missouri for the 2002 murder of 6-year-old Casey Williamson, despite objections from his attorneys, who argued he was mentally incompetent for the death penalty
Johnny Johnson was put to death by lethal injection on Tuesday evening, making him the fourth inmate executed in Missouri this year and the 16th in the United States, as reported by the Death Penalty Information Center.
Before his execution, Johnny Johnson apologized to Casey’s family in a final statement released by corrections officials. The victim’s family did not make a statement after the execution, but Casey’s mother, Angie Wideman, expressed relief in putting this part of the ordeal to rest.
The US Supreme Court refused to grant a stay of execution, with the three liberal justices dissenting. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in her dissent, highlighted Johnny Johnson’s documented mental illness, including schizophrenia, and the lack of rational understanding behind his execution.
Sotomayor argued that both the Missouri Supreme Court and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals had erred in denying Johnny Johnson the opportunity to argue his case
She emphasized that Johnny Johnson deserved a hearing to determine whether his execution violated the Eighth Amendment, criticizing the rush to finality without proper procedural and substantive protections.
Johnny Johnson’s execution raises concerns about the treatment of mentally ill death row inmates and the process of considering their competency for execution. Despite the controversy surrounding his case, the execution was carried out as scheduled.
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