Johnston was executed at 18:00 local time in a prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri. It is the first execution in the state since May 2020, and only the seventh in the United States so far this year.
Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Parson made it clear on Monday that the death sentence would not be commuted to life in prison – despite a major signature campaign and a call to reverse the death sentence from activists, elected officials and even Pope Francis.
IQ tests have shown that Johnson is mentally retarded with an intellectual capacity at the same level as a child. He was also born with an alcohol syndrome.
Johnson’s defense attorney Jeremy Weiss believes the execution violates the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the execution of mentally retarded people.
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