Federal judge strikes down request to halt execution of Missouri man in August

A federal judge has struck down a request to halt the upcoming execution of Johnny Johnson in Missouri.

Johnson, 45, was sentenced to death for the attempted rape and murder of 6-year-old Casey Williamson in 2002 in St. Louis County.

He is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Aug. 1 at Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri.

Attorneys for Johnson said in court filings that he is delusional and thinks Satan is “using the State of Missouri to execute him in order to bring about the end of the world and that the voice of Satan confirmed this plan to him.” They argued that going forward with the execution would violate the Eighth Amendment.

During a psychiatric evaluation, Johnson, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 16, also said he believes he is a vampire who can reanimate his organs and can learn a code to enter an animal’s mind to live after the execution.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office has argued that Johnson’s recent records indicate he has been free of auditory hallucinations.

In an order Monday, U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp wrote, “The mere fact that someone experiences delusions does not mean that the person experiences the type of delusions that prevent him from rationally understanding why the state seeks to execute him.”

Larry Komp, an attorney for Johnson, said they plan to appeal.

“In our opinion, there are ample errors of law, departures from settled United States Supreme Court authority, and errors of fact,” he said in a statement emailed to The Star. “Our hope is the Eighth Circuit will take the corrective action that is necessary. It is undisputed by a qualified expert that Mr. Johnson is incompetent to be executed.”

Last week, Johnson’s legal team submitted a clemency application to Missouri Gov. Mike Parson. The victim’s father, Ernie Williamson, said he supports clemency, according to the application.

Johnny Johnson is the fourth person to face execution this year in Missouri. Amber McLaughlin was executed in January, Leonard “Raheem” Taylor was executed in February and Michael Tisius was executed last month.

Four states — Missouri, Florida, Oklahoma and Texas — have carried out executions this year, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, a national nonprofit that tracks capital punishment.

This story was originally published July 17, 2023 at 4:04 PM.

Katie Moore

The Kansas City Star

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Katie Moore was an enterprise and accountability reporter for The Star. She covered justice issues, including policing, prison conditions and the death penalty. She is a University of Kansas graduate and began her career as a reporter in 2015 in her hometown of Topeka, Kansas.