Johnson was sentenced to death after being convicted of killing seven people in 1992 as part of the drug trade in Virginia. The weeks before his execution were defined by a tense legal battle after he hired Covid-19 while on death row.
In his final statement, Johnson apologized for his crimes and told the victims’ families that he hoped they would find peace. He also thanked prison officials, the prison chaplain, his minister and his legal team.
“I would have said I was sorry before, but I didn’t know how. I hope you find peace,” he said, according to a statement released by his lawyers. “For my family, I always loved you, and your love made me real. In the streets, I looked for shortcuts, I had some good models, I was on my side, I was blind and stupid. I am not the same man I was. “
The Supreme Court denied a last-ditch effort on Thursday night by Johnson’s legal team based on allegations of intellectual disability and his diagnosis of Covid-19, arguing that his infection combined with a lethal injection would amount to a cruel and unusual punishment .
The appeal came after an appeals court dismissed on Wednesday a lower court’s decision to suspend Johnson’s executions and another death row prisoner who contracted the virus, Dustin Higgs, whose execution is scheduled for Friday .
“The government must stop trying to execute Corey Johnson while he is still recovering from the COVID-19 infection he contracted as a result of the government’s own irresponsibility to carry out executions during the pandemic,” said Donald Salzman, Johnson’s lawyer in a statement Thursday. previous week.
“There is no reason in principle not to wait until the injunction expires in March to assess whether Mr. Johnson’s lungs have healed enough that he will not suffer terrible pain during the execution.”
After Johnson’s death, his legal team mourned his death in a statement, saying he should never have been executed.
“We loved Corey Johnson and knew him as a kind soul who never broke a rule in prison and kept trying, despite his limitations, to pass the GED. His family and loved ones are in our hearts,” said his lawyers. “We also want to say that the fact that Corey Johnson has never been executed cannot lessen the pain and loss experienced by the victims’ families in this case. We wish them peace and healing.”
Johnson’s legal team also said he has an IQ of 69, which would be less than a standard offered by the Supreme Court as a guide for states that assess whether such execution meets the Constitution’s cruel and unusual punishment standards.
“He is a person with an intellectual disability who cannot be constitutionally executed,” Salzman said Thursday morning. “The government should withdraw Corey’s execution date or President Trump should grant him leniency.”
According to the United States Department of Justice, Johnson and several co-conspirators were partners between 1989 and 1992 in a “major drug trafficking conspiracy” based in Richmond, Virginia.
As part of its operation, the department said, Johnson murdered seven people for “alleged disrespect or rivalry in the drug trade” – Peyton Johnson, Louis Johnson, Bobby Long, Dorothy Armstrong, Anthony Carter, Linwood Chiles and Curtis Thorne. Johnson said each name in his final statement, saying, “I want those names to be remembered.”
Johnson was found guilty of seven counts of manslaughter in 1993, with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia jury unanimously recommending seven death sentences.
Thursday’s execution, six days before President-elect Joe Biden took office, coincides with a new push by more than three dozen members of Congress to make the new Biden government prioritize the abolition of the death penalty in all jurisdictions. .
While Biden has pledged to abolish the federal death penalty and give states incentives to stop seeking death sentences as part of their criminal justice plan, 40 members of Congress want to ensure that the practice ends on their first day in office.
As part of his final words, Johnson mentioned his last meal.
“The pizza and strawberry milkshake were wonderful, but I didn’t get the jam-filled donuts I ordered,” he said. “What’s up with that? This must be fixed.”
This story has been updated with Johnson’s final statement and a statement from his lawyers.