Johnny Johnson was convicted of the 2002 murder of Casey Williamson in Valley Park
The Gospel reading for July 16 recounted Jesus’ parable of the seed and the sower: The seed that falls on thorny ground withers and dies; the seed that falls on rich soil bears much fruit.
As Deacon Joe Mueller of Sacred Heart Parish in Valley Park prayed with the readings while preparing his homily, one issue came to mind.
“Is the Catholic teaching against the death penalty a thorn in our rich, pro-life hearts?” he asked the congregation during Mass July 16.
For Valley Park residents, the next scheduled execution in Missouri hits close to home: Johnny Johnson is set to die Aug. 1 for the 2002 murder of 6-year-old Casey Williamson, which happened across the train tracks from the parish.
Father Robert “Rosy” Rosebrough, who was pastor of Sacred Heart Parish at the time, visited the Williamson family after Casey was killed to offer prayers, support and the use of the parish church and cemetery at no cost, if needed. “My heart went out to the family,” he said. “We were very sensitive to them and wanted to walk with them.”
The Church teaches that the death penalty is inadmissible in all cases because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person. Catholics are called to have compassion for both victims and their families and the person who is to be executed, Deacon Mueller said — even in difficult situations like this one. He recalled St. John Paul II’s 1999 Mass at the Trans World Dome in St. Louis, when the pope renewed his call for an end to the death penalty.
“Pope John Paul preached, ‘The new evangelization calls for followers of Christ who are unconditionally pro-life, who will proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of Life in every situation,’” Deacon Mueller said.
Among the people asking to halt Johnson’s execution is Ernie Williamson, Casey’s father, according to a clemency application submitted to Gov. Mike Parson by Johnson’s attorneys.
“Mr. Williamson is a deeply religious man, and he is guided by his faith, which directs love, not hate. He knows Johnny’s family. He also knows what it feels when someone kills a loved one, and he does not believe ‘executing Johnny will bring closure because it won’t bring Casey back,’” the clemency application said. “Instead, it will just bring more pain, particularly to Johnny’s family, and Mr. Williamson ‘does not want to do that because he cares for them.’”
Johnson’s attorneys have argued that he should not be executed because he does not have a rational understanding of his punishment. Johnson was diagnosed with schizophrenia and an organic brain disorder, and “his mental illness consistently features hallucinations, delusions and psychotic disorganized thought,” the application said. “He has fixedly maintained an extensive delusional belief system involving paranoid, grandiose and bizarre beliefs” including a belief that “the reason for his impending execution is that Satan is using the State of Missouri to bring about the end of the world.”
The Missouri bishops and other faith leaders also plan to submit a letter to Gov. Parson requesting clemency for Johnson, the Missouri Catholic Conference said.
Johnson would be the fourth person executed in Missouri in 2023. Most recently, Michael Tisius was killed by lethal injection on June 6.
Two people have died while on Missouri’s death row this year, leaving 13 people sentenced to death, including Johnny Johnson.
