Federal appeals court halts Missouri execution of Johnny Johnson, leading state to appeal
The three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday voted 2-1 to stop the execution of Johnny Johnson, who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection next Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre for killing Casey Williamson after trying to sexually assault her in 2002.
Attorneys for Johnson have claimed he isn’t mentally competent to be executed because his schizophrenia prevents him from understanding the link between his crime and the punishment. They have also said Johnson has delusions about the devil using his death to bring about the end of the world. Johnson lured the girl to an abandoned glass factory, even carrying her on his shoulders on the walk to the dilapidated site. When he tried to sexually assault her, Casey screamed and tried to break free. He killed her with bricks and rocks, then washed off in the Meramec River. Johnson confessed to the crimes.
The execution would be the fourth in Missouri this year. Five of the 15 U.S. executions this year have been in Texas, Florida has carried out four, Missouri has conducted three, two have happened in Oklahoma and one took place in Alabama.
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