Missouri Supreme Court Refuses to Halt Execution of Man Claiming Intellectual Disability

The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday, without explanation, declined to halt the execution of Ernest Lee Johnson, 61, who is scheduled to be put to death on October 5 for a triple killing that occurred during a robbery in 1994. Johnson's lawyers argue that his intellectual disability makes him ineligible for the death penalty. Johnson was convicted of killing three workers at a Caseys General Store in Columbia after robbing the store to buy drugs. He had a history of intellectual disability, with an IQ that ranged from 67 to 77, and had a benign brain tumor removed in 2008, which affected up to 20% of his brain tissue.

Key Takeaways:

• The Missouri Supreme Court has refused to halt the execution of Ernest Lee Johnson, 61, who is scheduled to die on October 5 for a triple killing in 1994.
• Johnson claims intellectual disability, which would make him ineligible for the death penalty, citing his IQ range of 67 to 77 and a brain tumor that affected up to 20% of his brain tissue.
• Johnson's lawyer, Jeremy Weis, said Johnson meets all statutory and clinical definitions of intellectual disability.
• The Execution would be the first in Missouri since 2020, when convicted killer Walter Barton was put to death.
• Johnson has been sentenced to death three times and had a new sentencing hearing ordered in 2001 by the U.S. Supreme Court after a ruling against executing the mentally ill.
• Johnson's lawyers argued that Missouri's lethal injection drug, pentobarbital, could trigger seizures and asked for execution by firing squad, which was denied.

Statistics:

• Johnson's IQ range is 67 to 77.
• Up to 20% of Johnson's brain tissue was affected due to a benign brain tumor.
• The last execution in Missouri prior to Johnson's was Walter Barton in May 2020.
• Ernest Lee Johnson is scheduled to be executed on October 5.
• Johnson was sentenced to death three times and had a new sentencing hearing ordered in 2001.

Sources:

• Associated Press. "Missouri Supreme Court refuses to halt execution set for October".