Current:Home > InvestAppellate court rules that Missouri man with schizophrenia can be executed after all -BeyondProfit Compass
Appellate court rules that Missouri man with schizophrenia can be executed after all
View
Date:2025-04-13 07:19:49
The planned execution of a 45-year-old Missouri man with schizophrenia is back on after an appellate court reversed course Saturday.
Johnny Johnson is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre for killing 6-year-old Casey Williamson after trying to sexually assault her in 2002.
With questions swirling about his mental competency, the execution was halted last Tuesday by a divided three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court. But after the Missouri Attorney General’s Office asked that the full court reconsider, that decision was reversed in a 7-3 ruling.
The case will likely end up before the U.S. Supreme Court before the scheduled execution date.
Attorneys for Johnson have claimed 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.
The Missouri Supreme Court in June declined to halt the execution based on the mental health claim. The attorney general’s office challenged the credibility of psychiatric evaluations of Johnson and contended that medical records indicate he is able to manage his mental illness through medication.
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.
Casey’s disappearance set off a frantic search involving first responders and volunteers. Her body was found in a pit less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from her home, buried beneath rocks and debris.
The execution would be the fourth in Missouri this year.
veryGood! (15353)
Related
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Christian Slater and Wife Brittany Lopez Welcome Baby No. 2
- LeBron James was the best player at the Olympics. Shame on the Lakers for wasting his brilliance.
- Who is Yseult? French singer steals hearts to cap off Paris Olympics closing ceremony
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Americans’ refusal to keep paying higher prices may be dealing a final blow to US inflation spike
- Hawaii’s teacher shortage is finally improving. Will it last?
- Browns’ plans for move to new dome stadium hits snag as county backs city’s renovation proposal
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Kelly Ripa Shares How Miley Cyrus Influenced Daughter Lola’s Music Career
Ranking
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- California's cracking down hard on unhoused people – and they're running out of options
- 'Snow White' gives first look at Evil Queen, Seven Dwarfs: What to know about the remake
- The Latest: Harris and Trump paint different pictures for voters as the White House intensifies
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran directs homophobic slur at fan, issues apology
- First Snow, then Heat Interrupt a Hike From Mexico to Canada, as Climate Complicates an Iconic Adventure
- 18-year-old Iowa murder suspect killed by police in Anaheim, California
Recommendation
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
USA wrestler Kennedy Blades wins silver medal in her first Olympic Games
Patriots fan Matt Damon loved Gronk's 'showstopping' 'Instigators' cameo
Billie Eilish Welcomes the Olympics to Los Angeles With Show-Stopping Beachfront Performance
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
North Dakota voters to weigh in again on marijuana legalization
Brittney Griner’s tears during national anthem show how much this Olympic gold medal means
Latinos are excited about Harris, but she has work to do to win the crucial voting bloc, experts say