What Missouri's execution of Johnny Johnson tells us about the legal system

By Nomin Ujiyediin,

Published August 8, 2023 at 4:00 AM CDT

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How do courts and the state decide whether someone is mentally competent to be executed? Last week, Johnny Johnson — a Missouri man with schizophrenia, who was convicted of abducting and killed a girl two decades ago — was killed by lethal injection after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to issue a stay in his case.

Recently, the state of Missouri executed 45-year-old Johnny Johnson, who was convicted of the 2002 killing of 6-year-old Casey Williamson. But Johnson's attorneys say the man, who has schizophrenia, was not mentally competent enough to understand the connection between his execution and the crime he committed.

KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with Mark Joseph Stern, a senior reporter covering courts for Slate, about the case, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent actions around execution, and what it tell us about our legal system.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on August 1 that Johnny Johnson's execution would not be halted. Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a dissent.

News

Missouri has executed 4 people in 2023. The most recent raises questions about the legal system

Nomin Ujiyediin

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Paris Norvell, Byron Love, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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