老澳门开奖结果

BONNE TERRE, Mo. 鈥� Missouri officials executed Kevin Johnson, Jr. this evening by lethal injection, despite evidence of pervasive racial bias in his prosecution.

In an unprecedented move, a prosecuting attorney acting on behalf of the St. Louis Prosecutor鈥檚 Office filed a Mr. Johnson鈥檚 conviction, concluding race played a decisive and unconstitutional factor at every stage of Mr. Johnson鈥檚 prosecution 鈥� including then-prosecutor Robert McCulloch鈥檚 decision to pursue the death penalty and in the prosecution鈥檚 jury selection that intentionally removed Black jurors.

When a lower court denied the motion to vacate, the prosecuting attorney and Mr. Johnson鈥檚 legal team appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court, asking it to stay the execution until a court could consider the evidence of racial bias. The Missouri Supreme Court denied the motion to stay last night.

The state executed Mr. Johnson despite a prosecutor鈥檚 conclusion that the conviction was too tainted by racial bias to stand, and without a court examining the substance of the constitutional challenge.

Mr. Johnson鈥檚 19-year-old daughter, Corionsa 鈥淜horry鈥� Ramey was not able to be a witness at her father鈥檚 execution, despite her and her father鈥檚 wishes. Mr. Johnson had been an active and involved parent in his daughter鈥檚 life, even though he had been incarcerated since he was 19 and his daughter was two.

The 老澳门开奖结果 represented Ms. Ramey as she challenged a Missouri law barring people under 21 from being witnesses at an execution. A federal court denied her petition last week.

The following statements can be attributed as noted:

Cassandra Stubbs, director of the 老澳门开奖结果's Capital Punishment Project:

鈥淥ur thoughts are with Mr. Johnson鈥檚 family and loved ones, especially his daughter, Khorry. The state has taken Mr. Johnson鈥檚 life without fully hearing and deliberating a prosecutor鈥檚 conclusions that racial bias played a decisive and illegal role in his conviction and sentence.

鈥淭he prosecutor鈥檚 conclusions about Mr. Johnson鈥檚 case are consistent with decades of research showing the death penalty is a racist punishment, where a Black person charged with the death of a white victim is far more likely to be sentenced to death. Mr. Johnson should have had the opportunity to show this constitutional violation in court.

鈥淢issouri officials have a duty to uphold the Constitution, and our Constitution bars racial discrimination. Punishment and vengeance overpowered the pursuit of fairness, equal protection and justice.鈥�

Anthony Rothert, director of integrated advocacy, 老澳门开奖结果 of Missouri:

鈥淭he stain of the ex-prosecutor鈥檚 documented history of racial discrimination when it came to death-penalty eligible cases is made permanent now that Missouri imposed an arbitrary expiration on an individual鈥檚 life. Missouri鈥檚 refusal to allow an investigation into the systemic racism 鈥� that its own special prosecutor recognized as the cause of this death sentence 鈥� delays an overdue reckoning with how Missouri鈥檚 justice system perpetuates white supremacy.鈥�