On Monday, Gov. Michael L. Parson said he would not pardon the death row inmate, despite several loud objections. When the Missouri Supreme Court did not agree to adjourn the case on Tuesday, nothing stood in the way of the planned execution.
– Governor Mike Parson was not convinced by either the Pope or others. Photo: Jeff Roberson / AP Photo
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Ernest Lee Johnson was executed by poison injection, and the 61-year-old was declared dead at 18.11 local time. In a recent written statement, Johnson said he was sorry and “felt guilty” for the triple murder he committed in 1994. He added that he loved his family and friends, and thanked all his supporters, writes Associated Press.
Help from the Pope
59 protesters gathered outside the prison to show their dissatisfaction with the execution, which has caused several to react. The pope was among those who spoke out to save Johnson’s life.
– Pope Francis was one of several who became involved in the case. Photo: Alessandro Di Meo / AP Photo
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“The pope wants to remind you of Johnson’s human dignity and that all life is sacred,” the Vatican wrote in a letter to Governor Parson as late as Friday.
On the same day, congressional representatives Cori Bush and Emanuel Cleaver asked the governor to reconsider the decision. Like Johnson, both Bush and Cleaver are African American, and they believe compares the death penalty to historical violence against African Americans such as slavery and lynching.
– The execution will be highly unfair, the congressional representatives wrote to the governor according to Washington Post.
– Democrat Cori Bush compared the death penalty to slavery and lynching. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / AP Photo
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Shocking triple murder
Johnson was sentenced to death in 1995, the year after he robbed a grocery store and killed three employees. According to the verdict, Johnson killed the employees with a hammer, and hid their bodies in a cold room.
The reason why both the pope, the congressional representatives and several others are involved in the case, is due to Johnson’s presumed disability. Several point out that Johnson had shown signs of disability already from birth, and believe, among other things, that the mother drank heavily during pregnancy. In addition, Johnson had to remove parts of his brain when he had surgery to remove a tumor in 2008, which only helped to exacerbate the challenges.
Unconstitutional
Johnson’s lawyers and supporters refer, among other things, to a decision in the Supreme Court from 2002, which states that it is unconstitutional to execute people with mental disabilities, regardless of what crime they have been convicted of. The Supreme Court, on the other hand, let each state decide what qualifies as a disability, which has led to several different interpretations.
– According to his supporters, Johnson has had disabilities since childhood. Photo: Missouri Department of Corrections / AFP
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Missouri defines mental disability as “extensive limitations of general functional ability”, which among other things leads to low results on IQ tests, communication difficulties and problems with taking care of oneself.
Johnson’s defense attorney Jeremy Weis says his client met all the “legal and medical definitions” of mental disability, and points out that he has consistently landed between 67 and 77 on various IQ tests over the years.
The Missouri Supreme Court has previously pointed out that Johnson’s retelling of the killings illustrates how he “has the ability to plan and solve problems – contrary to allegations of severely impaired intelligence.”
Declining support
This was the first execution in Missouri since 2020, and only the seventh in the United States so far this year. Fewer and fewer Americans support the death penalty. Several liberal opponents point out that the method can often fail and disproportionately affect minorities, while more and more conservatives believe it is a waste of public funds and an example of excessive state interference.
According to Pew Research 60 percent of Americans support the death penalty for people convicted of murder, a decline from 2019.
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