Justice has been served as Kevin Johnson executed news was coming for quite some time. Jevin was executed on 29 November.
If there is no last-minute intervention, a Missouri prisoner who was found guilty of ambushing and killing a police officer in the St. Louis region because he believed that officer was responsible for his younger brother’s death will be put to death on Tuesday.
The defence team for Kevin Johnson did not dispute that he killed Officer William McEntee in 2005, but they argued in an appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court that part of the reason he was given the death penalty was that he is Black.
The state Supreme Court, however, rejected a stay in a 5-2 decision late on Monday. In response, Johnson’s legal team filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.
Shawn Nolan, one of Kevin Johnson’s attorneys, said in a statement that “the State of Missouri is prepared to execute Kevin Johnson tonight, not for his crimes, but because he is Black.”
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In a statement released Tuesday evening, Missouri Governor Mike Parson said: “Today, the state of Missouri carried out Kevin Johnson’s sentence as directed by the Missouri Supreme Court. Sgt.
Bill McEntee was killed in 2005, and Mr. Johnson was found guilty and given the death penalty.
State and federal courts looked into Mr. Johnson’s accusations, but no court overturned his conviction or punishment.
We are hoping that this will give Sgt. McEntee’s loved ones have some closure as they continue to suffer without him.
Kevin Johnson Executed For Killing Police Officer In 2005
On Tuesday night, Johnson, 37, was put to death at the state prison in Bonne Terre. He would be the 17th person executed nationwide and the second man executed in Missouri in 2022.
Johnson was pronounced dead at 7:40 pm CT. According to Karen Pojmann, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Corrections, he did not make a closing statement.
After the U.S. Supreme Court turned down his request for a stay of execution, the execution took place. The court’s website states that Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson disagreed.
Kevin Johnson (Source: KMOV)
Johnson had requested a stay, but the Missouri Supreme Court had rejected it on Monday after hearing allegations that racial prejudice had been a factor in his indictment.
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William McEntee, a police sergeant for the Kirkwood Police Department, was killed on his hands and knees in front of the people he had devoted his life to protecting, according to his widow Mary.
“We could not have imagined that he would be executed by someone he gave his life to protect,” she said at a press conference held Tuesday night.
Bill was denied the opportunity to defend himself. He was not allowed to stand trial before a jury and have his fate decided.
Additionally, she expressed gratitude to the prosecutors for their “hard work and endless hours… for justice for Bill.”
The 19-year-old daughter of Johnson, who had failed this month to convince a federal court to stop the state from carrying out her Father’s execution unless she was allowed to be a witness, did not witness the execution.
People under the age of 21 are prohibited from attending Missouri legal proceedings.
Johnson met with his daughter earlier on Tuesday, according to Pojmann.
Where Are Kevin Johnson Parents Now?
There is no trace found of Kevin Johnson’s parents. But he has a 19-year-old daughter who requested a federal court to attend her fighter’s execution, which dots denied.
Because it is illegal for anybody under 21 to witness an execution in Missouri, Corionsa Ramey cannot attend the execution of her Father, Kevin Johnson.
According to Ramey’s complaint against state officials, the court should stop Johnson’s execution unless Ramey is allowed to attend as a witness.
Furthermore, Ramey and American Civil Liberties Union attorneys claimed that the law violated her constitutional rights under the First & Fourteenth Amendments.
Kevin Johnson With His Family (Source: KOMU)
Ramey expressed her grief in a statement provided to the ACLU, saying, “I’m heartbroken that I won’t be allowed to be with my dad in his dying moments.”
“The most significant person in my life is my Father. Despite being incarcerated, he has supported me throughout my entire life.
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Johnson has maintained parental involvement through frequent visits, phone calls, and emails.
Ramey claimed in an affidavit supporting her case, even though he was charged with McEntee’s murder when his daughter was just two years old.
Ramey took her infant baby to prison just a month ago so that her father could see his grandson.
Although a federal judge found the state had a “substantial interest in the sovereignty of its criminal law enforcement,” he rejected Ramey’s arguments despite acknowledging the possibility that she might experience “emotional harm” in his decision.
Ramey’s attorney, Corene Kendrick, who also serves as the deputy director of the ACLU’s National Prison Project, expressed her team’s “extreme disappointment” in upholding the law, saying it only serves to punish Ramey gratuitously.
Categories: News
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
