A teenage girl has been denied permission to witness her father’s death by lethal injection in Missouri after a judge upheld a law that says she is too young.
Kevin Johnson, 37, faces execution on Tuesday Nov. 29 for shooting a police officer in 2005 when he was 19.
His daughter, Corionsa “Khorry” Ramey, was two years old when Johnson was arrested for the killing of William McEntee in Kirkwood, Missouri.
An emergency lawsuit was filed on behalf of Ms. Ramey, now 19, by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) asking a federal court to allow her to watch her father’s final moments.
Johnson has placed his daughter on a witness list to witness the execution and she wants to participate.
But Missouri law states that no person under 21 may witness an execution.
The ACLU argued that the statute violates Ms. Ramey’s constitutional rights and serves no purpose, adding that the age threshold “is not reasonable.”
However, US District Judge Brian Wimes has now ruled against the teenager and said it was in the public interest “to allow states to enforce their laws and administer state prisons without court intervention.”
In a written ruling, the judge said the lawsuit failed to prove “unconstitutionality”.
Ms Ramey said in a statement: “I am heartbroken that I won’t be able to be with my father in his final moments,” adding that Johnson has “worked very hard to rehab in prison.”
The teenager is now pinning his hopes on Republican Missouri governor Mike Parson by pardoning his father.
The ACLU called on the state of Missouri to “do right” by Ms. Ramey, tweeting: “A federal judge has denied Ramey’s request to witness the execution of her father Kevin Johnson.
“There is no dignity in a state that kills its residents — and the state of Missouri can still do Khorry good if the governor pardons his father.”
Johnson’s attorney, Shawn Nolan, told reporters: “It’s ironic that Kevin was 19 when he committed this crime and they still want to go ahead with this execution, but they won’t allow his daughter, who is 19 right now , to enter because he is too young”.
Legal offer to stop the execution
Johnson’s legal representatives also filed appeals seeking to stop his execution.
They do not dispute his guilt, but say racism influenced the decision to seek the death penalty and the jury’s decision to sentence him to death, for the killing of Mr. McEntee, who was white.
Lawyers also say Johnson had a history of mental illness.
Mr. McEntee, married and a father of three, was among several officers sent to Johnson’s home to serve out a warrant for his arrest on July 5, 2005, for an alleged probation violation.
Johnson’s 12-year-old brother, who suffered from a congenital heart defect, collapsed and began having fits.
He later died in hospital.
When Mr. McEntree returned to the area to investigate unrelated reports of fireworks, Johnson shot the officer several times.
According to the non-profit campaign group, Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Johnson’s “violent childhood” and the sudden death of his younger brother led to his “deplorable actions.”
“Kevin Johnson is a loving father and grandfather, even from prison, he has dedicated himself to being the best dad he could be and has remained a positive and constant presence in his daughter’s life,” the organization tweeted.
Kevin Johnson. Pic: Missouri Department of Corrections via AP
“I would stand by his side and hold his hand”
In an earlier press conference before the judge’s ruling, Ms Ramey said she wanted to attend the execution for “peace of mind” and as part of the mourning process.
She remained close to her father, despite his incarceration.
Ms Ramey said: ‘I am my father’s closest living relative and he is mine as well as my young son.
“If my father was dying in the hospital, I would have stood by his side and held his hand, praying until he died.”
The nursing assistant traveled to Missouri’s Potosi Correctional Center to introduce her son, Kiaus, to his grandfather after giving birth in September.
“It was a beautiful but bittersweet moment for me because I realized it might be the only time my dad gets to hug (his) grandson,” she said.
Ms Ramey’s attorney, Corene Kendrick, said the question of a person’s age forbidding her from attending an execution rarely arises.
Nevada is the only other state to have an age limit of 21, while the federal government and other states have no age limit or a requirement that people attending should be 18 or older.
