Texas Death Row Inmate Commits Suicide

Associated Press ^ | Oct 19, 2006 | MICHAEL GRACZYK

[Free ThinkerNY]

Texas Death Row Inmate Commits Suicide

By MICHAEL GRACZYK Associated Press Writer

Oct 19, 4:53 PM EDT

LIVINGSTON, Texas (AP) -- A convicted killer facing lethal injection beat the executioner to it Thursday, committing suicide by slitting his throat and arm with a blade in his Texas death row cell 15 hours before he was supposed to die.

Michael Dewayne Johnson, 29, was found in a pool of blood by officers making routine checks on him every 15 minutes, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Johnson apparently scrawled words in blood on the wall of his cell, but prison officials would not say what he wrote.

He is at least the seventh condemned man in Texas to take his own life since death row reopened in 1974.

No other prisoner has killed himself so close to his scheduled execution time. In 1999, a death row inmate took an overdose of prescription drugs. He was hospitalized, then executed two days later.

Johnson had been set to die for the 1995 slaying of Jeff Wetterman, 27, gunned down at his family-run gasoline station and convenience store near Waco.

Prison system spokeswoman Michelle Lyons said that 15 minutes before Johnson was discovered, he was talking to the staff and awaiting breakfast, and gave no indication he was contemplating suicide.

He used a sharp piece of metal attached to what looked like a wooden Popsicle stick, Lyons said.

[Hambone02]

However, the up-side is that the State saves a lot of money, fuss, muss and bother when the perps off themselves. A penny saved is a penny earned....

Actually, they will probably spend the same amount of money investigating this incident. They ought to just burn him out back with the trash and move on.

[ustanker]

wow, how will i sleep tonight?

[dmc8576]

Haha. Yes, I suppose I should have reread it before posting the message. Anyway, I'm sorry for my spelling mistakes. I hope the errors didn't get in the way of the message. And for the record, I didn't mean my closing sentence to be as condescending as yours.

[Loud Mime]

something was written in blood....

[spinestein]

Please do NOT post pictures of Helen Thomas alongside pictures of hot babes. To do so can't possibly make the images of Helen any easier to look at but can only result in making us all start to associate pictures of hotties with Helen Thomas.

Don't make us take your keyboard away.

[evad]

And for the record, I didn't mean my closing sentence to be as condescending as yours.

Touche..
and very good, Grasshopper.

[kylaka]

My local paper publishes an "80 years ago today" and such column in its once weekly issue. It seems in 1912 two gents were convicted of horse theft on a Monday, and hanged in back of county the courthouse the following Thursday promptly at noon. That's in New Jersey. It just shows you how far we had come by 1992, 80 years ago that day. By 1933 the delay had grown to 5 weeks, as your link shows. Now, who knows. Soon it could be we will have to keep them alive for 120 or 130 years till justice is done.

[verum ago]

Please do NOT post pictures of Helen Thomas alongside pictures of hot babes. To do so can't possibly make the images of Helen any easier to look at but can only result in making us all start to associate pictures of hotties with Helen Thomas.

Don't make us take your keyboard away.

c'mon! associating pictures of hotties with Helen Thomas is sure as hell better than associating pictures of Helen Thomas with Helen Thomas!
and, all else, failing, pictures of hotties will help restore your vision after having it savaged by Thomas' visage. It's therapeutical.

[verum ago]

FReep Law!

[commonguymd]

Being rather cold, shallow, and frugal towards the rights of killers, child rapists, drug pushers, etc... - I wonder if him offing himself saved the taxpayer any money?

[Richard Kimball]

Proposal for a new FreeRepublic Rule: pictures of Helen Thomas must be accompanied by pictures of hot women.

Suit yourself:

[bannie]

Better late than never.

He seems to have, finally, done something right.

[onyx]

Drama queen didn't want an audience?

[commonguymd]

Now that is why I hate going to the beach. Some people should be required to wear full clothing at all times. might as well visit a leper colony or stand in line at the department of motor vehicles if I want to be disgusted.

[Richard Kimball]

Yeah, I went to Schliterbahn (water park in Texas) and came away with the opinion that 75% of the population should be prohibited from appearing in public wearing only a swimsuit.

[commonguymd]

Living by the beach, all I can say is how right you are.

[SoldierDad]

Just forget the pix of Helen Thomas, please. My eyes are in agony.

[verum ago]

that's just low. seriously.

[spinestein]

This started out as a nice, pleasant thread about some guy on death row who slit his own throat to deny his executioners of the pleasure and look at what it's turned into; pictures everywhere of centenarian women trying to look sexy.

I'm beginning to suspect that we've been infiltrated by Viagra vendors trying to create new customers.

[Richard Kimball]

Okay, okay. Is this better?