Entries tagged with “Kevin Johnson”
Executions
Religion
,Feb 03, 2026
Restrictions on Spiritual Advisers in Execution Chambers Persist Despite Supreme Court Ruling
When Lance Shockley was executed in Missouri in October 2025, he requested the presence of his daughter, an ordained minister, in the execution chamber as his spiritual adviser. The Missouri Department of Corrections (MDOC) denied his request, and Mr. Shockley was executed. His case represents one example of how states have applied the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in *Ramirez v. Collier*, a decision that acknowledged the religious rights of death-sentenced…
Issues
Religion
,Aug 07, 2023
Religious Leaders Explain Why They Minister to Death-Sentenced Prisoners During Executions
Reverend Melissa Potts-Bowers, the spiritual advisor to Michael Tisius, recently described her experience ministering to him during his execution as“quite horrifying — as it’s intended to be.” Mr. Tisius was executed by the state of Missouri on June…
Issues
Nov 28, 2022
Missouri Executes Kevin Johnson Despite Special Prosecutor’s Call to Vacate Death Sentence
Despite a court-appointed special prosecutor’s request to vacate his death sentence, Missouri executed death-row prisoner Kevin Johnson (pictured, with daughter Khorry Ramey, left, and newborn grandson) on November 29, 2022. The execution moved forward after the Missouri Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court denied stays of execution following oral argument in the Missouri high court less than 36 hours before the scheduled execution.
Issues
Oct 04, 2022
New Study Finds Significant Race-of-Victim Disparities in St. Louis County Death Sentencing
A study of more than 400 death-eligible murder cases in St. Louis County, Missouri over a 27-year period has found significant racial disparities in the county’s administration of the death penalty based upon the race…