Convicted child killer Johnny Johnson was put to death Tuesday evening, following the 2002 abduction and murder of a 6-year-old Missouri girl.
AP News reports that 45-year-old Johnson received a lethal injection dose of pentobarbital at a Bonne Terre state prison for the July 2002 murder of Casey Williamson. He was pronounced dead at 6:33 p.m. CDT.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to block the execution, dismissing arguments of Johnson’s mental incompetence due to schizophrenia.
“The Court today paves the way to execute a man with documented mental illness before any court meaningfully investigates his competency to be executed,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor and three other justices decided.
“There is no moral victory in executing someone who believes Satan is killing him to bring about the end of the world.”
St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that Johnson, who was a friend of the victim’s family, abducted Casey from her Valley Park home while she was still in her nightgown. He took her to a creek and attempted to sexually assault her, then dragged her into an abandoned factory.
Although she fought back, Johnson fatally beat her and hid her body, sparking panic and a frenzied search that lasted hours.
Casey’s body was found buried in a pit, less than a mile from her home, covered in debris and rocks.
According to court documents, Johnson used a brick and a large rock to repeatedly strike Casey in the head, subsequently crushing her skull. He then cleaned the blood off of him at a nearby river but ended up confessing to the crime the same day.
Detective Paul Neske, who led the investigation in the case, said that the child’s death was “more violent and brutal than any case I’d ever seen,” while Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson added that the killing was “one of the most horrific murders that has come across my desk.”
The victim’s family reportedly said they had “mixed feelings” over Johnson’s death, but Casey’s mother told the Post-Dispatch that she’s ready to put the entire ordeal behind her.
Johnson apologized to the family in a handwritten letter provided to and released by the Missouri Department of Corrections.
“God Bless. Sorry to the people and family I hurt,” he wrote.
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[Feature Photo: Casey Williamson/Family Handout; Johnny Johnson/Missouri Dept. of Corrections]
