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Ernest Lee Johnson was executed by the state of Missouri on Tuesday after spending more than 25 years on death row following his conviction for the murder of three employees at a convenience store in 1994.
Johnson was due to be executed at 6 p.m. and died shortly after from an injection of pentobarbital at Bonne Terre State Prison.
Lawyers for Johnson, who was 61 at the time of his court-ordered death, fought to have his execution delayed or canceled and argued that he suffered from an intellectual disability, which they said made its execution by the state unconstitutional.
“This is not a close affair,” the lawyers argued in documents. “Ernest Johnson is intellectually disabled. To allow the state of Missouri to execute Mr. Johnson undermines the authority of this Court and the precedent and would be a fundamental miscarriage of justice. “
Johnson’s execution came after the Supreme Court refused to interfere with Johnson’s execution, writing that “the application for a stay of execution of the death penalty brought to Judge Kavanaugh and by him referred to the Court is dismissed. The request for certiorari is dismissed. “
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) previously made it clear in a statement Monday that he would not prevent Johnson’s execution from going as planned.
Pope Francis and Democratic representatives from Missouri Cori Bush and Emanuel Cleaver called on Parson to grant Johnson clemency, which he rejected.
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Johnson was sentenced to death in 1995 after being convicted of the murders of Mary Bratcher, Fred Jones and Mable Scruggs at a Casey’s general store in 1994. Authorities say Johnson used a hammer and screwdriver in the gruesome murders.
In his final declarationJohnson wrote that he was “sorry” and expressed “remorse” for what he had done.
“I am grateful for everything my lawyer [sic] did for me. They made me feel love like I was their family. I love them all, ”Johnson said, thanking those who have prayed for him over the years.
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