Kevin Johnson with his daughter and grandson visiting him in prison
A US court has refused to allow a 19-year-old woman to watch her father’s execution after a judge invoked Missouri law deeming her too young.
Kevin Johnson, who was convicted of killing a police officer in 2005 when he was 19, is due to be executed on Tuesday.
She requested that her daughter be allowed to witness the execution of the sentence.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a petition on behalf of the girl, arguing that state law violated her constitutional rights.
They argued that a Missouri law that does not allow children under 21 to witness executions serves no safety purpose.
Johnson, 37, was sent to prison when his daughter, Remi, was two.
The father met his daughter during his prison visits, and also spoke to her on the phone, and she brought her newborn to the prison to meet her grandfather last month.
Remy said, “I feel very sad not to be with my father in his last hours” and added that his father made tremendous efforts to rehabilitate himself in prison, and asked the governor of Missouri to forgive him.
Lawyers petitioned for his pardon, with an admission of guilt, and said racism played a role in his conviction.
