The federal government Thursday night executed Corey Johnson despite evidence and arguments he had intellectual disabilities and a federal district court's ruling that the execution would be "cruel and usual punishment" because of his recent COVID-19 infection and illness and delayed execution until at least March 16, 2021 (article available here).
Corey Johnson, 52, was executed at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana and pronounced dead at 11:34 p.m. ET. He is the 12th person to be executed by the government since July after the Trump administration restarted federal executions following a 17-year hiatus. In a statement following Johnson's killing, his attorneys said the government executed a person "with an intellectual disability, in stark violation of the Constitution and federal law."
His legal team mourned his passing in a statement: "We loved Corey Johnson, and we knew him as a gentle soul who never broke a rule in prison and kept trying, despite his limitations, to pass the GED. His family and loved ones are in our hearts."Mr. Johnson said in his final statement that he was "sorry for his crimes," "not the same man that I was," and wanted the victims to be remembered. He told the victims' families, "I would have said I was sorry before, but I didn't know how. I hope you will find peace."
He added the pizza and strawberry shake he had before his execution were "wonderful" but that he didn't get the jelly doughnuts he ordered. He also thanked his chaplain and legal team.