Governor Confirms Johnson Will Be Executed

(Bonne Terre, MO) Missouri Governor Mike Parson confirms the state will carry out the sentence of execution for Ernest Lee Johnson tonight at the Eastern Reception and Diagnostic Center at Bonne Terre. Johnson was convicted of the 1994 murders of three employees of a Casey's General Store in Northern Columbia. The victims, Mary Bratcher, Fred Jones, and Mabel Scruggs were shot, stabbed, and bludgeoned to death during a robbery. The evidence showed Johnson went to great lengths to plan, and hide, the crime. Witnesses also showed police places Johnson had ordered them to hide evidence. A press release form the Governor's office shows three juries have reviewed Johnson's case and recommended a sentence of death. 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. Johnson has received 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.