Tennessee man executed 29 years after killing three

AFP on Yahoo ^ | 12/2/09 | AFP

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Tennessee executed a man Wednesday who had served nearly three decades on death row for killing three people during a shooting spree at a Nashville convenience store.

Hours before Cecil Johnson was pronounced dead at 1:34 am (0734 GMT), two US Supreme Court justices engaged in a sharp exchange over whether to grant a stay of execution to the alleged killer 29 years after his crime. Last-minute efforts to grant him clemency or stop the execution failed.

"The delay itself subjects death row inmates to decades of especially severe dehumanizing conditions of confinement," wrote veteran Justice John Paul Stevens.

"There was no physical evidence tying Johnson to the crime," he added, noting that it was not until 1992 that Tennessee finally granted Johnson access to "substantial evidence undermining key eyewitness testimony against him."

Johnson had been convicted for murdering Bobby Bell, the store owner's 12-year-old son, and two men sitting in a nearby taxicab.

[GeronL]

Should have taken about 29 days, if that.

[A.A. Cunningham]

decades of especially severe dehumanizing conditions

An accurate description of what Stevens has subjected the Republic to since he took his seat on the bench in 1975. Thank you Gerald R. Ford.

[Man50D]

That’s much quicker than they execute them in Connecticut.

[dfwgator]

"Do I even need to say it?"

[Newtoidaho]

Typical liberal lunacy. These $h&thead judges engineer the extremely long delay, then claim the delay is cruel and inhuman. Reason #456,903 on the list of reasons to despise liberals.

[StormEye]

"Johnson had been convicted for murdering Bobby Bell, the store owner's 12-year-old son, and two men sitting in a nearby taxicab."

Good riddance to the sub-human monster Johnson. This ape had no compunction about murdering a twelve year kid -- I hope he had very "dehumanizing" experience on death row. I hope he was completely miserable during his three decades of extra life.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Unfortunately, this is the norm for Tennessee. The system allows the condemned to file dozens upon dozens of appeals and does not require that all be bundled as one big appeal.

[Drew68]

There was no physical evidence tying Johnson to the crime

I do have a problem with the death penalty in such convictions.

[outofstyle]

These $h&thead judges engineer the extremely long delay, then claim the delay is cruel and inhuman

That's true. And it is true that it is cruel and inhuman punishment for these scum to endure this endless delay. The execution may be just. However, as unusual, the law of liberal unintended consequences turns an unfortunate but just reality into a cruel torture.

[Still Thinking]

"The delay itself subjects death row inmates to decades of especially severe dehumanizing conditions of confinement," wrote veteran Justice John Paul Stevens.

So SCOTUS' [almost] perfectly consistent Liberal King is saying it's liberals that are imposing cruel and unusual punishment on the condemned? Wow, candid.

[LeonardFMason]

What if there was an eyewitness?

[boycott]

That’s 29 years of LAWYERS milking the taxpayers to keep this dirtbag alive. That’s really what it’s about.

[Drew68]

What if there was an eyewitness?

Not good enough. Eyewitness testimony has been shown over and over again to be unreliable. As a jurist, I could possibly send a man to prison on circumstantial evidence alone, just not to death.

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

Considering the number of rape cases that were tried (in the past) based solely on eyewitness testimony only to be overturned years later when DNA evidence showed them innocent.

I say nope.

[Boiling point]

I like the long wait. Allows them many years of actual punishment, with all the trappings of prison life, knowing they will never be released, then get executed at the end.

[mathurine]

Trash collection is too slow.

[cherry]

I’d be against the DP if we could do banishment instead ...forever.....banish the animal to the deepest recesses of prison....no tv interviews...no emailing...no blogging....no mail.....but that would be too “cruel”.

[onedoug]

NEXT?

[101voodoo]

i>There was no physical evidence tying Johnson to the crime

"I do have a problem with the death penalty in such convictions."

Why is that? Suppose a murder is committed such as this one and there are 3 or 4 eye witnesses on the scene. Each independently describes the individual down to the scar on his neck or some other such defining physical characteristic. The man is then picked up, has NO alibi and is again ID'd in a line up by the same witnesses. What's wrong with the death sentence in a case like this?