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Ernest Johnson's touching last words revealed as Internet slams execution

'I am sorry and have remorse for what I do', said Ernest Lee Johnson before his execution, internet calls it 'tragic', while others slam sympathizers

Ernest Lee Johnson was pronounced dead at 6:11 PM Central time on October 5 at a state prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri. He became the first person to be executed by the state since May 2020. Despite pleases for clemency, Johnson's execution went ahead as planned, leaving social media bitterly divided over the fate of the 61-year-old. Shortly after he died, the prison released Johnson's last statement, which further added to the divisions, as many were left shocked by the state's decision.

While the US has always seen a bitter battle over the death penalty, the matter took a drastic turn in recent weeks with the execution of Johnson. Back in January 2021, Cory Johnson was executed in Indiana. Both men have drawn numerous supporters shortly before their execution because they both had intellectual disabilities. In December 2020, Kim Kardashian attempted to campaign for clemency for Brandon Bernard but was ultimately unsuccessful. He too was executed in Indiana. 

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Ernest Johnson's case drew considerable media attention over the past weeks from members of Congress and even Pope Francis. At the heart of the bitter battle is his mental health, due to being born with fetal alcohol syndrome. Despite a history of low IQ tests, courts refused to recognize Johnson's case under the Eighth Amendment. The Missouri Supreme Court also refused to step in, consequentially leading to his execution on October 5.

Johnson's last statement - 'I am sorry'

A day before he was executed (October 4), Johnson made a brief final statement that was released by Missouri authorities on October 5 night. In it, he said, "I am sorry and have remorse for what I do. I want to say that I love my family and friends, I am thankful of all my lawyer has done for me." He added that he "loved them all". Johnson believed he was going to heaven, saying, "I love the Lord with all my heart and soul. If I am executed I no were I am going to heaven. Because I ask him to forgive me." (sic)

According to reporters at the prison, Johnson mouthed the words "I love you" to his family as he was being injected with the lethal drug pentobarbital.  His breathing then became labored, and he soon appeared to go to sleep. At a press conference after the execution, the Missouri Department of Corrections noted that it had gone ahead only after Governor Mike Parson's go-ahead, given after all legal challenges were denied.

Before the execution, protests took place all across the state as people begged for Johnson's execution to be stopped. Unfortunately, those protests were in vain but that hasn't stopped people from continuing to slam the government online. Even after his execution, many users took to social media to denounce Gov. Parson, with the angry tweets increasing after Johnson's statement was released. 

'The death penalty should not exist'

One user tweeted, "As someone who supported the death penalty for much of my life, this case is exactly why I have realized it needs to be abolished. So tragic, and so, so sad/embarrasing for our state." Another said, "This is just cruel. Enough with the death penalty. It's time. I'm not saying let convicted murderers go free, but state sponsored murder isn't the answer." One person called the statement, "Difficult to read. We've really made a mess of this world."

"Absolutely heartbreaking last statement from Ernest Johnson. The death penalty should not exist," one person commented. Another said, "This is Ernest Johnson's last statement before being executed by the state of Missouri. The death penalty is barbaric. Its use against people with intellectual disabilities is even worse."

Other users though, were quick to slam those who sympathized with Johnson. "For all of those crying about his execution, please consider that he took 3 people apart with a claw hammer inside a convenience store. Carnage so brutal that they knocked down the store as a result. Save your tears for someone else or the families of those he savagely murdered," a user tweeted. Another commented, "Sad story, but think about the families of the 3 people he murdered with a claw hammer. Let just be glad they didn't kill him the same way and had mercy on him....LIVE BY THE SWORD...DIE BY THE SWORD."

Johnson became the seventh person to be executed in the US in 2021, a massive decline from the 17 people executed in 2020. There are still, however, several more executions scheduled for 2021, including three in Oklahoma and four in Texas according to the Death Penalty Information Centre.