A Missouri inmate convicted of ambushing and killing a St. Louis area police officer he blamed in the death of his younger brother is scheduled to be executed Tuesday, though his lawyers are seeking to have the lethal injection halted.
Kevin Johnson’s attorneys don’t deny that he killed Police Officer William McEntee in 2005, but contend in an appeal before the Missouri Supreme Court that he was sentenced to death in part because he is Black.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined a stay request last week, and Gov. Mike Parson on Monday announced he would not grant clemency.
Johnson would be the second Missouri man put to death in 2022 and the 17th nationally.
