Ernest Johnson has been executed

[xmas74]

He was denied clemency by Gov Mike Parson and denied a stay. What made this execution worse than usual was that he had a diminished mental capacity with a projected IQ of 67.

I hate my state.

[JustAnotherGen]

1. N/S

I hate the death penalty

[jpak]

2. But it's like an effective deterrent to crime

Works everywhere

Please try to keep up.

[TomSlick]

3. We are a cruel and vengeful nation.

[canetoad]

13. Not all of you

I really dig some Americans.

[TomSlick]

14. You are correct. My language was imprecise.

The nation is cruel and vengeful, while many of the nation's citizens are not. The last poll I saw puts the number of Americans supporting capital punishment at a slim majority.

[DFW]

18. You mean "capital punishment," right?

"Capitol punishment" was part of the title of a 1963 humorous book written by an old friend of my dad's named Art Buchwald. He wrote a satirical column of the same name, usually blasting Republicans, for decades.

[TomSlick]

19. Correct. I will correct my typo.

[DFW]

20. Art was a friend of my family for decades

That's the only reason that one popped out at me.

[marble falls]

4. We are.

[abqtommy]

5. I'm sorry we failed you, Ernest!

[mvd]

6. Very sorry to hear that

I feel for the sensible people in Missouri. This was indicative of how radical things have gotten there.

[Sneederbunk]

7. Killed three convenience store workers.

[xmas74]

8. But also has an IQ of 67.

I work with individuals like Ernest. Many have been in trouble with the law. A few were murderers. Most didn't totally comprehend their actions.

Life in prison would have been a good choice. Life in a habilitation center with 24 hour care and training on how to handle 552s would be better but Missouri has closed most if those centers.

[Dial H For Hero]

11. Was that the case when he committed the murders? My understanding is that he had surgery in 2008

that removed brain tissue.

[xmas74]

12. He had fetal alcohol syndrome

And a long established reports from his school days identifying him as "slow". He came from a poor, neglected background and was introduced to drugs by his family. There are also reports that he couldn't do his own laundry as an adult,no matter how hard he tried to learn,nor could he tie his shoes. One local article stated he also couldn't actually count money.

[Act_of_Reparation]

21. The argument isn't that he was incapacitated at the time.

His lawyers were making the case that his medical condition would cause seizures and make death by lethal injection painful. They had been seeking alternate forms of execution for long while before this.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Abolition now.

[spanone]

10. state sanctioned murder

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. You're right, and there is no justice in state sanctioned murder. n/t

[spanone]

16. Our Justice system is not infallible.

Executed But Possibly Innocent

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy-issues/innocence/executed-but-possibly-innocent

[CaliforniaPeggy]

17. Thanks for the link! It's horrifying, to say the least. n/t