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Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Murderer Matthew Lee Johnson's Final Words Before Texas Execution
A Texas man asked for forgiveness before he was executed on Tuesday for the murder of a grandmother who he set on fire during a robbery 13 years ago. Matthew Lee Johnson, 49, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. He was condemned for the May 20, 2012, attack on 76-year-old Nancy Harris, who he doused with lighter fluid and set ablaze in the Dallas suburb of Garland. She died days afterward. "First and foremost, I would like to give all praises to God. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here on this Earth. I thank him for the life he has given me," Johnson said in his final statement, according to a transcript provided to Newsweek by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He addressed his victim's family, saying: "As I look at each one of you, I can see her on that day. I just please ask for y'all's forgiveness. I never meant to hurt her." He added: "I pray that she's the first person I see when I open my eyes and I will spend eternity with her." This is a breaking story. More to follow. Related Articles Texas Chlorine Gas Leak Triggers 'Remain Indoors' AlertTexas To Execute Man Who Set Fire To Grandmother19 Abandoned Dogs Rescued From 'House of Horrors' in TexasCouple Go to Shelter Looking for a Chihuahua-Realize 'Dog Picks the Family' 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
The Sun
21-05-2025
- The Sun
Killer's creepy final message to family of victim he burned to death moments before 26minute lethal injection execution
A KILLER who burned an elderly store clerk to death gave a chilling message to the victim's family moments before he was executed. Matthew Lee Johnson's 26-minute death by lethal injection came exactly 13 years after he set great-grandma Nancy Harris, 76, alight during a robbery. 3 3 The clerk suffered severe burns and died several days later following the convenience store heist in Dallas, 2012. Depraved Johnson, 49, was pronounced dead at 6:53pm on Tuesday. His eventual death came about 26 minutes after officials injected a cocktail of drugs into his arm at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. Leading up to the execution, Johnson begged the victim's family for forgiveness. Turning to a window a few feet away where Harris' family were watching the execution - the sick killer pleaded with the grieving relatives. After begging for forgiveness - he bizarrely stated that he wanted to see slain Harris again. Johnson said: 'As I look at each one of you, I can see her on that day. 'I please ask for your forgiveness. I never meant to hurt her." He stated: "I pray that she's the first person I see when I open my eyes and I spend eternity with." The death row inmate also asked his wife and daughters to forgive him. I'm a death row executioner - a killer's head burst into flames when I put him in electric chair The dad said: 'I made wrong choices, I've made wrong decisions, and now I pay the consequences.' Since the heinous attack was partially caught on camera, Harris was able to describe Johnson before she succumbed to her injuries. During his 2013 trial, Johnson admitted to the brutal burning. He expressed regret for the murder and branded himself "the lowest scum of the earth". The murderer claimed he was high on crack when he set the victim on fire and was therefore not aware of his actions. He said at the time: 'I hurt an innocent woman. I took a human being's life. I was the cause of that. Lethal injection controversy in South Carolina By Patrick Harrington, foreign news reporter THE three most recent executions in South Carolina were by lethal injection, and the cases have sparked controversy. It took around 20 minutes before each of the three men were officially declared dead. Complicating the situation is a law passed in 2023 which restricts much of the information about executions being made public. It requires the identities of execution team members remain secret and forbids the publication of information about how the drugs are bought by the state. This follows a growing number of pharmaceutical companies refusing to sell their drugs to be used in executions. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit challenging the state law in January. It wrote: "This ban not only further departs from the state's history of making execution-related information publicly available but criminalizes the disclosure of this information by anyone for any reason. "It thus silences the scientists, doctors, journalists, former correctional officials, lawyers, and citizens who have scrutinized the safety, efficacy, morality, and legality of South Carolina's use of lethal injection." The state has released only one of two available autopsies from the recent executions, and Brad Sigmon's lawyers say it shows an unusual amount of fluid in the man's lungs. 'It was not my intentions to — to kill her or to hurt her, but I did.' The killer's legal team previously argued their client had a drug addiction and was sexually abused as a child. Harris was survived by four sons, 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. It comes after a serial killer once linked to the OJ Simpson murder case sent a message to Donald Trump in the final moments before he was executed. Glen Rogers, who claimed to have killed up to 70 people, was put to death by lethal injection on May 15 at Florida State Prison. The 62-year-old, dubbed the Casanova Killer due to his charm and good looks, was executed for the 1995 slaying of a woman in a Tampa motel.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Matthew Johnson executed in Texas for murder of beloved grandmother who was set on fire
Texas has executed Matthew Lee Johnson for the murder of a beloved grandmother who was set on fire during a convenience store robbery 13 years ago. Johnson, 50, was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday, May 20, for the murder of 76-year-old Nancy Judith Harris in May 2012 in the Dallas suburb of Garland. He was pronounced dead at 6:53 p.m. CT. "To Mrs. Harris' family, as I look at each and everyone of you, I see her on that day," Johnson said just before his execution, which some of Harris' loved ones witnessed. "I just please ask for y'all's forgiveness, I never meant to hurt her. I pray that she's the first person that I see when I open my eyes, and I will spend eternity with her." Johnson became the fourth inmate executed in Texas this year and the 18th in the nation. Johnson's execution also was the second of the day on Tuesday. Just after midnight, Indiana executed Benjamin Ritchie for the murder of police officer Bill Toney in 2000. Here's what to know about Johnson's execution, including more about who his victim was and more from Johnson's last words. On top of addressing Harris' family members, Johnson praised God and thanked him "for the life he has given me." He told his fellow death row inmates, whom he called "brothers," that he loved them, and thanked prison officials "for helping me and treating me like a man and treating me with fairness and giving me the opportunity to get in right standings with my Lord." He apologized to his wife and three daughters for "giving up." "Just know that it's nothing that y'all did. I made wrong choices, I've made wrong decisions, and now I pay the consequences," he said. "I thank the Lord for the last 13 years. He has given me the opportunity to ask for his forgiveness, and I thank him for his redemption," he said. "Welcome me father, thank each and everyone of you for being here. I'm done, Warden.' On the morning of May 20, 2012, Harris was working as a clerk at the Fina Whip-In convenience store in Garland. Johnson walked into the store and behind the sales counter. He then poured lighter fluid over Harris' head as she tried to open the cash register, court documents say. Johnson then took two lighters from a display, two packs of cigarettes and removed a ring from Harris' finger. Once Harris finally got the register open, Johnson took all of the cash and then lit Harris on fire. Court documents say that Harris, engulfed in flames, ran to a nearby sink to try to put them out. At the same time, Johnson "calmly" walked out of the convenience store, stopping to grab some candy, court documents say. Unable to put out the fire, Harris yelled for help outside. Two police officers, a firefighter and a paramedic responded, extinguishing Harris and taking her to a hospital by ambulance. Harris sustained second- to fourth-degree burns over 40% of her body, including her face, arms, hands, legs and chest. On May 25, 2012, Harris was taken off life support and passed away. She left behind four sons, John, Bryan, Scot and Chris. Bryan passed away at the age of 64 in February. After leaving the Fina Whip-In, Johnson ran throughout the neighborhood behind the convenience store, shedding his clothing. By the time officers caught him that morning, Johnson asked, according to court records: "What took you so long? Y'all are getting slow." A devoted grandma and avid Dallas Cowboys fan, Harris would "give you the shirt off her back," Elizabeth Harris, Nancy's daughter-in-law, told USA TODAY. For several years up until her death, Harris spent Friday afternoons doting on her three granddaughters, Lorelai, Hannah and Olivia Harris, who are now 23, 21 and 18. They bought trinkets at Dollar Tree, ate at McDonald's and played for hours back at Harris' house. The family called them "Nini Days," based on the nickname the girls had for their Grandma Harris. "She loved it. The girls loved it," Elizabeth said. Around the time Elizabeth and Harris' son Chris got married in 2000, Harris had a health scare, and doctors told her she needed to cut down on sodium. Initially, Harris tried to cut out all salt. "(She) just wanted to make sure she was there to watch the kids graduate and get married and all of the things," Elizabeth said. "She took it seriously when they (doctors) told her, 'You need to take care of your health.' After that, she was as healthy as humanly possible so that she could be there for her grandkids and her family." A horrific crime: 13 years after setting a beloved Texas grandma on fire, Matthew Johnson will be executed A Dallas native, Johnson spent the majority of his childhood unsupervised, raised largely by his two older brothers and cousins, who introduced him to marijuana at the age of 7, according to Johnson's clemency petition. In middle school, Johnson began using crack cocaine and PCP. At 19, Johnson married his wife Daphne and initially, was able to hide his drug use from her, the Johnson's clemency petition said. But before long, his drug addiction became "quite serious." In 2004, Johnson was sentenced to five years of prison for a robbery while on drugs. In prison, Johnson got sober and enrolled in a parenting class, according to his clemency petition. Johnson was released from prison in 2009 and remained sober for several years. He found solace in working out and fishing to calm himself down, he and Daphne had a third child, and he got a promotion at his job at an auto garage, according to the petition. But in 2011, the Johnsons bought their first home and shortly after, Daphne lost her job, according to the petition. The financial strain proved too much and Johnson relapsed again. "Within months, the progress he had made toward sobriety and improving his life had vanished, as Johnson sunk to a point lower than ever before," his clemency petition said. "It was during this time that he killed Nancy Harris." Since being on Death Row, Johnson has completed a faith-based program and become as active in his wife and daughters' lives as possible, the petition said. "While not able to be physically present, he tries his best to help influence his daughters to make better choices and not follow a path like this," the petition said. The next execution in the U.S. is scheduled in Tennessee on Thursday, May 22. The state is expected to execute Oscar Smith for the 1989 murder of his estranged wife, Judith Robirds Smith, 35, and her sons, 13-year-old Jason Burnett and 16-year-old Chad Burnett, inside their Nashville home. Smith is set to become the 19th inmate executed in the U.S. this year. Another eight executions are scheduled but that number is expected to increase as states approve more death warrants. The U.S. is on track to eclipse the 25 executions that took place in the nation last year. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matthew Johnson executed in Texas for murder of beloved grandmother
CBS News
21-05-2025
- CBS News
Texas man executed exactly 13 years after setting convenience store clerk on fire
A Texas man was executed Tuesday evening for the burning death of an elderly clerk he set on fire during a convenience store robbery more than a decade ago. Matthew Lee Johnson was condemned for the 2012 death of 76-year-old Nancy Harris, a great-grandmother who was splashed with lighter fluid and set ablaze at a store in Garland. Johnson, 49, received a lethal injection after 6 p.m. at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. His was one of two executions scheduled for Tuesday in the U.S. In Indiana, Benjamin Ritchie was set to receive a lethal injection for the 2000 killing of a police officer. These two executions are part of a group of four scheduled within about a week's time. On May 15, Glen Rogers was executed in Florida. On Thursday, Oscar Smith is scheduled to receive a lethal injection in Tennessee. David Dow, one of Johnson's attorneys, said he would not be pursuing any final appeals with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to stop the execution. Lower appeals courts had previously rejected requests by Johnson's lawyers to stay his execution. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Friday denied Johnson's request to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty. In prior appeals, Johnson's lawyers had argued his death sentence was unconstitutional because he was improperly determined to be a future danger to society, a legal finding needed to sentence him to death. His most recent appeals had argued his execution date had been illegally scheduled. Security video captured part of the attack against Harris. Badly burned, she was able to describe the suspect before she died several days after the May 20, 2012, attack. Johnson's execution is scheduled to take place 13 years to the day Harris was attacked. Johnson's guilt has never been in doubt. At his 2013 trial, he admitted to setting Harris on fire. He expressed remorse and called himself "the lowest scum of the earth." "I hurt an innocent woman. I took a human being's life. I was the cause of that. It was not my intention to – to kill her or to hurt her, but I did," said Johnson. Johnson said he had not been aware of what he had done as he had been high after smoking $100 worth of crack. His attorneys told jurors that Johnson had a long history of drug addiction and had been sexually abused as a child. In court documents, the Texas Attorney General's Office said Johnson's various appeals have been efforts to delay a legal death sentence. "Thirteen years after the commission of Johnson's crime, justice should no longer be denied," the AG's Office said in a court petition filed last week. Harris had worked at the convenience store for more than 10 years, living only about a block and a half away, according to testimony from her son, Scot Harris. She had four sons, 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Prosecutors said Harris had only been working her Sunday morning shift for a short time when Johnson walked in, poured lighter fluid over her head and demanded money. After Johnson grabbed the money from the register, he set Harris on fire and calmly walked out of the store, according to court documents. Harris frantically tried to extinguish herself and her clothing, exiting the store and screaming for help before a police officer used a fire extinguisher to douse the flames covering her body. Johnson was arrested about an hour later. Harris suffered extensive second- and third-degree burns over her head and face, neck, shoulders, upper arms, and leg and was in a great deal of pain in the days before she died, a nurse and doctor testified. If the execution is carried out, Johnson would be the fourth person put to death this year in Texas, historically the nation's busiest capital punishment state. If both of Tuesday's executions take place, that would bring this year's total to 18 death sentences carried out nationwide.
Toronto Sun
20-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
Texas man facing execution, 13 years to day of robbery in which he set clerk ablaze
Published May 20, 2025 • 3 minute read This undated photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Matthew Lee Johnson, who was sentenced to death for a convenience store robbery in which he set an elderly clerk on fire in Garland, Texas. Photo by Texas Department of Criminal Justice / AP HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A Texas man faced scheduled execution Tuesday evening, 13 years to the day of a convenience store robbery in which he set an elderly clerk on fire. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Matthew Lee Johnson was condemned for the deadly May 20, 2012, attack on 76-year-old Nancy Harris, a great-grandmother who was splashed with lighter fluid and set ablaze at a store in Garland, a northeast suburb of Dallas. Badly burned, she died days afterward. Johnson, 49, was scheduled to receive a lethal injection after 6 p.m. CDT at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. His was the second execution scheduled Tuesday in the United States. Hours earlier in Indiana, Benjamin Ritchie received a lethal injection for the 2000 killing of a police officer. Those are part of a group of four executions scheduled within about a week's time. On May 15, Glen Rogers was executed in Florida. On Thursday, Oscar Smith is scheduled to receive a lethal injection in Tennessee. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Prison officials said that when Johnson arrived at a holding cell outside the death chamber, he was calm and asked for his glasses and a Bible. David Dow, one of Johnson's attorneys, said he was not be pursuing any final appeals with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to stop the execution. Lower appeals courts had previously rejected requests by Johnson's lawyers to stay his execution. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Friday denied Johnson's request to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty. In prior appeals, Johnson's lawyers had argued his death sentence was unconstitutional because he was improperly determined to be a future danger to society, a legal finding needed to sentence him to death. His most recent appeals had argued his execution date had been illegally scheduled. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Security video captured part of the attack against Harris. She was able to describe the suspect before she died several days after the attack. Johnson's guilt has never been in doubt. At his 2013 trial, he admitted to setting Harris on fire. He expressed remorse and called himself 'the lowest scum of the earth.' 'I hurt an innocent woman. I took a human being's life. I was the cause of that. It was not my intentions to — to kill her or to hurt her, but I did,' said Johnson. Johnson said he had not been aware of what he had done as he had been high after smoking $100 worth of crack. His attorneys told jurors that Johnson had a long history of drug addiction and had been sexually abused as a child. In court documents, the Texas Attorney General's Office said Johnson's various appeals have been efforts to delay a legal death sentence. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Thirteen years after the commission of Johnson's crime, justice should no longer be denied,' the attorney general's office said in a court petition filed last week. Harris had worked at the convenience store for more than 10 years, living only about a block and a half away, according to testimony from her son, Scot Harris. She had four sons, 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Prosecutors said Harris had only been working her Sunday morning shift for a short time when Johnson walked in, poured lighter fluid over her head and demanded money. After Johnson grabbed the money from the register, he set Harris on fire and calmly walked out the store, according to court documents. Harris frantically tried to extinguish herself and her clothing, exiting the store and screaming for help before a police officer used a fire extinguisher to douse the flames covering her body. Johnson was arrested about an hour later. Harris suffered extensive second- and third-degree burns over her head and face, neck, shoulders, upper arms, and leg and was in a great deal of pain in the days before she died, a nurse and doctor testified. If the execution is carried out, Johnson would be the fourth person put to death this year in Texas, historically the nation's busiest capital punishment state. Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists Toronto Maple Leafs Basketball Columnists
