State to Carry Out Sentence of Mr. Ernest Lee Johnson

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Jefferson City — Today, Governor Mike Parson confirmed that the state of Missouri will carry out the sentence of Mr. Ernest Lee Johnson on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, as ordered by the Supreme Court of Missouri.

“The state is prepared to deliver justice and carry out the lawful sentence Mr. Johnson received in accordance with the Missouri Supreme Court's order,” Governor Parson said.

Mr. Johnson was tried and convicted for the brutal murder of three innocent victims during a robbery in 1994. The evidence showed Mr. Johnson went to great lengths to plan and conceal his crime. Three juries have reviewed Mr. Johnson's case and recommended a sentence of death. Mr. 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. Mr. 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.