93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
(AP) The Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from a Columbia death row inmate who is seeking execution by firing squad.
Over the dissent of the three liberal justices, the court on Monday left in place a lower court ruling against inmate Ernest Johnson that could allow him to be executed by lethal injection. He is on death row for killing three Columbia convenience store workers in 1994.
Johnson has argued that Missouri’s lethal injection drug, pentobarbital, could trigger seizures because of a brain condition, making it cruel and unusual punishment. The effect of the court’s order is to prevent Johnson from amending his lawsuit to include the possibility of execution by firing squad, which is not authorized under Missouri law.
