Man Who Abducted and Killed 6-Year-Old Missouri Girl Executed After Supreme Court Rejects Appeal
BONNE TERRE, Mo. – A man convicted of abducting and fatally beating a 6-year-old Missouri girl was put to death on Tuesday evening. Johnny Johnson, 45, received a lethal injection at a state prison in Bonne Terre, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to block the execution over arguments of mental incompetence.
Johnson was convicted of the July 2002 killing of Casey Williamson in the St. Louis area suburb of Valley Park. He suffered from schizophrenia and had a history of mental illness. However, his attorneys claimed that his delusions about the devil using his death to bring about the end of the world should be grounds for sparing his life.
In a brief handwritten statement released by the Department of Corrections, Johnson expressed remorse for his actions. “God Bless. Sorry to the people and family I hurt,” his statement read.
The Supreme Court, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor and two other justices dissenting, rejected a late request to stay the execution. Sotomayor and the other dissenting justices wrote in a statement when the stay was rejected, “There is no moral victory in executing someone who believes Satan is killing him to bring about the end of the world.”
Former St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch, who handled the case, spoke before witnessing the execution, acknowledging Johnson’s mental health issues but asserting that he knew what he was doing. “He’s got some issues – significant issues. But he knew exactly what he was doing,” McCulloch said.
The girl’s disappearance on July 26, 2002, had sparked a frantic search. Johnson, who was acquainted with Casey’s family, lured her to an abandoned factory where he attempted to sexually assault her. When Casey screamed and tried to escape, he killed her with a brick and a large rock.
Casey’s body was found buried under rocks and debris less than a mile from her home after a search by first responders and volunteers.
At Johnson’s trial, his defense lawyers presented evidence of his mental illness and the fact that he had stopped taking his schizophrenia medication. However, the Missouri Supreme Court denied an appeal on these grounds in June. Last week, a three-judge federal appeals court panel temporarily halted the execution, but the full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated it.
Governor Mike Parson also denied a request to reduce Johnson’s sentence to life in prison, despite opposition from Casey’s father, Ernie Williamson. Casey’s great aunt, Della Steele, on the other hand, urged the governor to carry out the execution, stating that there should be consequences for taking the life of an innocent child.
The execution was witnessed by several members of Casey’s family, as well as the former prosecutor and police investigator who handled the case. The family has since channeled their grief into organizing community safety events in Casey’s memory, aiming to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.
Johnson’s execution marks the 16th in the U.S. this year and the third in Missouri.