Tennessee kills / Lackey redux
Tennessee early this morning killed Cecil Johnson, Jr.,
In the end Cecil Johnson Jr., convicted in the fatal shooting of three people – including a 12-year-old boy — in 1981, was only forgiven by his son who is in prison.. . .
During the execution a daughter, DeAngela Johnson, was described as turning her back and covering her ears against her father’s breathing sounds as the injections began.
Johnson, 53, was forgiven by his 29-year-old son serving prison time in West Tennessee. James Johnson, serving 23 years for aggravated assault and aggravated robbery, sent his father a message with Riverbend Maximum Security Prison warden Ricky Bell.
“Tell him I love him and forgive him for not being there,’’ Johnson’s son said in the message. “And tell him he is not the reason why I am in prison.”
On the final round of review by the Supreme Court Justices Stevens and Breyer, here, sharply argued the Court should have granted certiorari. Justice Thomas here, just as forcefully replied. As the SCOTUSBlog notes:
“This case deserves our full attention,” wrote Justice John Paul Stevens in an opinion joined by Justice Stephen G. Breyer as the full Court refused to hear a final plea on Johnson’s behalf. The Stevens opinion added that “this is as compelling a case as I have encountered for addressing the constitutional concerns” over holding an inmate for many years, awaiting execution. For more than 14 years, one or both of those Justices has been calling for review of the question of whether it is “cruel and unusual punishment” to put off execution for a long time, at least when that is due to delays that are not the fault of the inmate.. . .
But, as has happened before, the Stevens complaint was met with a sharply worded retort from a colleague, Justice Clarence Thomas. It has been 14 years, Thomas wrote, since Stevens first proposed finding a violation of the Eighth Amendment for years-long residence on death row. “i was unaware of any constitutional support for the argument then…And I am unawarion e of any support for it now.”
Thursday, 3. December 2009 1:38
Let me make sure I understand this correctly. Johnson kills 3 people in cold blood (one being a young teenager) and this coward was trying to claim cruel & unusual punishment for the delays in his execution?
Of course if he had been executed any sooner, the bleeding hearts would use the same argument because his execution was to swift.
Monday, 7. December 2009 18:02
“His son” was NOT his biological son! “His son” was just a tire kicker. Cecil never raised that kid.
No “gene- specific criminal factor” running in the family.
Btw, Cecil worked as a cook in the prison kitchen for many years until last friday. That much about “single cells” and “maximum security”. Threat to society? Dream on.