• Urgent Action

Urgent Action: MAN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY SET TO DIE (USA: UA 96.21)

September 10, 2021

Ernest Johnson faces execution on October 5, 2021. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1995 for the 1994 murders of three employees of a convenience store in Missouri. A jury sentenced him to death despite a claim of intellectual disability in violation to international law. Johnson had surgery in 2008 to remove a brain tumor which has left him with seizures. Medical expert testified that the lethal injection drugs may trigger violent and painful seizures. State and federal courts have denied his claims for relief. We urge Governor Parson to halt the execution and commute his sentence.

TAKE ACTION:
  1. Please take action as-soon-as possible. This Urgent Action expires on October 5, 2021.
  2. Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
  3. Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 96.21. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Michael Parson, Governor Office of the Governor P.O. Box 720 Jefferson City, MO 65102 Phone: (573) 751-3222 Fax: (573) 751-1495 Contact Form: https://governor.mo.gov/contact-us Twitter: @GovParsonMO Facebook: www.facebook.com/GovMikeParson/
 
SAMPLE LETTER Dear Governor Parson, Ernest Johnson is scheduled for execution on October 5, 2021 for the 1994 murder of three individuals despite evidence that he has an intellectual disability, in violation of the US Supreme Court Decision in Atkins v. Virginia and international law. Ernest Johnson has an intellectual disability and has been diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Improper jury instructions during his third resentencing rehearing incorrectly placed the burden on him to demonstrate his disability rather than on the state to prove he did not have one, as required under Atkins’ Supreme Court decision. Furthermore, Johnson had surgery to remove a brain tumor that left him with seizures which can be triggered by the lethal injection drugs used by Missouri during executions, these may cause great pain and potentially violate the US Constitution’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. I urge you to stay the October 5, 2021 execution of Ernest Johnson and grant him clemency. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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