Governor Parson Confirms Execution at Bonne Terre Prison

Despite the pleas from many groups, Governor Mike Parson confirmed this afternoon that Missouri will carry out the execution of Ernest Lee Johnson tomorrow evening at the prison in Bonne Terre. Johnson was tried and convicted for the brutal murder of three innocent victims during a robbery in 1994 in Columbia. A news release from the governor’s office says the evidence showed Johnson went to great lengths to plan and conceal his crime. Three juries reviewed Johnson’s case and recommended a sentence of death. The news release went on to say Johnson’s claim that he is not competent to be executed has been reviewed and rejected by a jury and the courts six different times, including a unanimous decision by the Missouri Supreme Court. J

Johnson did receive due process under the laws in the state trial court, Missouri Supreme Court, federal district court, 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Executions at the prison in Bonne Terre during the last several years have taken place at 6 in the evening. Prior to that, they were carried out at midnight. Regional Radio could not find an exact time when tomorrow’s execution will be carried out.