Kevin Johnson execution: Daughter denied request to watch father die by lethal injection

Published

3 years ago

November 26, 2022

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A teenager has been denied permission to witness her father die by lethal injection in Missouri after a judge upheld a law that states she is too young.

Kevin Johnson, 37, faces execution on Tuesday, 29 November for shooting a police officer in 2005, when he was 19.

His daughter, Corionsa “Khorry” Ramey, was two when Johnson was detained over 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 put his daughter on a list of witnesses to attend the execution – and she wants to attend.

But Missouri law states no person under 21 can witness an execution.

ACLU argued 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 is 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 had failed to demonstrate “unconstitutionality”.

Ms Ramey said in a statement: “I’m heartbroken that I won’t be able to be with my dad in his last moments”, adding that Johnson has “worked very hard to rehabilitate himself in prison”.

The teenager is now pinning her hopes on Missouri’s Republican governor, Mike Parson, granting her father clemency.

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 her father Kevin Johnson’s execution.

“There is no dignity in a state killing its residents – and the state of Missouri can still do right by Khorry if the governor grants her father clemency.”

Johnson’s lawyer, Shawn Nolan, told journalists: “It’s ironic that Kevin was 19 years old when he committed this crime and they still want to move forward with this execution, but they won’t allow his daughter, who’s 19 at this time, in because she’s too young.”

Legal bid to stop execution

Legal representatives for Johnson have also filed appeals seeking to halt his execution.

They do not contest his guilt – but claim racism affected the decision to seek the death penalty, and the jury’s decision to sentence him to die, over the killing of Mr McEntee, who was white.

Lawyers also say Johnson had a history of mental illness.

Mr McEntee, a married father-of-three, was among several officers dispatched to Johnson’s home to serve an arrest warrant on 5 July, 2005, for an alleged probation violation.

Johnson’s brother, 12, who suffered a congenital heart defect, collapsed and began having a seizure.

He later died in hospital.

When Mr McEntree returned to the area to investigate unrelated reports of fireworks being set off, Johnson shot the officer several times.

According to non-profit campaign group, Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Johnson’s “abusive childhood” and the sudden death of his younger brother led to his “regrettable actions”.

“Kevin Johnson is a loving father and grandfather, even from prison, he’s dedicated to be the best dad that he could and has remained a positive and steadfast presence in his daughter’s life,” the organisation tweeted.

‘I would stick by his side and hold his hand’

In an earlier news conference ahead of the judge’s ruling, Ms Ramey said she wanted to attend the execution for “peace of mind” and as a part of the grieving process.

She has remained close to her father, despite his incarceration.

Ms Ramey said: “I am my dad’s closest living relative and he is mine, other than my baby son.

“If my dad were dying in hospital, I would stick by his side and hold his hand, praying until his death.”

The nursing assistant travelled to Missouri’s Potosi Correctional Centre to introduce her son, Kiaus, to his grandfather after giving birth in September.

“It was a beautiful but bittersweet moment to me because I realised it might be the only time my dad would get to hold (his) grandson”, she said.

Ms Ramey’s attorney, Corene Kendrick, said the issue of a person’s age prohibiting them from watching an execution arises rarely.

Nevada is the only other state to have an age limit of 21, while the federal government and other states have no age restriction or a requirement people in attendance should be at least 18.

US

US Supreme Court curbs injunctions that blocked Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship plan

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2025

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US Supreme Court curbs injunctions that blocked Donald Trump's birthright citizenship plan

Donald Trump’s administration will be allowed to take steps to implement its proposal to end automatic birthright citizenship in the US following a decision by the Supreme Court.

Under the current rules, nearly anyone born on US territory has automatic citizenship rights – commonly known as “birthright citizenship”.

But in January, on his first day back in the White House, Trump signed an executive order aimed at ending that right.

A series of lawsuits followed, with district courts issuing nationwide injunctions aiming to block the order from taking effect.

The Supreme Court on Friday voted 6-3 to allow the Trump administration to narrow the scope of nationwide injunctions imposed by judges so that they apply only to states, groups and individuals that sued.

This means the birthright citizenship proposal can likely move forward at least in part in the states that challenged it, as well as those that did not.

The US president responded with a post on Truth Social by welcoming the ruling as a “giant win”.

At a news conference at the White House, he said: “In recent months, we’ve seen a handful of radical left judges effectively try to overrule the rightful powers of the president… to dictate the law for the entire nation… this was a colossal abuse of power.”

He went on to suggest the current birthright was being abused and had originally been designed for a different era, to give the descendants of slaves the right to citizenship.

“It wasn’t meant for people trying to scam the system and come into the country on a vacation. It was meant for the babies of slaves. Hundreds of thousands of people are pouring into our country under birthright citizenship,” he said.

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In a wide-ranging news conference, he also said he would consider bombing Iran again if they continued their nuclear programme and expects the country to open itself to international inspections.

He also said he was preparing fresh trade tariffs for several countries and had secured mineral rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is signing a peace deal with Rwanda at the White House to end years of fighting.

Friday’s Supreme Court decision was focused on cases filed in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington state.

The policy remains blocked for now in one additional state, New Hampshire, as a result of a separate lawsuit that is not before the Supreme Court.

Mr Trump’s plan has the backing of 21 other states.

Friday’s ruling was decided on a 6-3 vote following a divide on ideological lines, with conservatives in the majority and liberals in dissent.

Mr Trump previously helped shape the makeup of the court with the appointment of three judges, ensuring a 6-3 conservative majority, though past rulings have still not always gone in his favour.

It has long been widely accepted, including by legal scholars on the left and right in the US, that the Constitution’s 14th Amendment confers automatic citizenship to almost anyone born in the United States.

Mr Trump wants that restricted to only those with at least one parent who is a US citizen or permanent resident.

Friday’s ruling does not examine the legal merits of the policy, but only whether judges had the authority to put it on hold across the entire country.

As a result of the ruling, the proposal can potentially move forward nationwide, although individuals could still file their own lawsuits at the state level.

Those currently challenging the policy could also still reinstate injunctions which are less broad in scope.

The US president and his allies have been harshly critical of judges who have blocked aspects of his agenda, although it is not a new phenomenon for courts to impose nationwide injunctions.

His administration has battled against judges who have issued nationwide injunctions in response to a bold and aggressive use of executive power to implement a controversial agenda, including ramping up deportations, downsizing federal agencies, targeting law firms and universities and firing thousands of federal employees.

US

Man kicks customs dog at Washington Dulles International Airport, say authorities

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2025

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Man kicks customs dog at Washington Dulles International Airport, say authorities

An Egyptian man has admitted federal charges after kicking a customs dog at a US airport, authorities say.

Hamad Ramadan Bayoumy Aly Marie, 70, pleaded guilty to “harming animals used in law enforcement” during an appearance in the US District Court of eastern Virginia on Wednesday.

Five-year-old male beagle Freddie allegedly detected more than 100lbs (45kg) of undeclared agricultural products in Marie’s luggage after he arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport from Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday.

When Freddie’s handler started questioning the passenger, he kicked the 25lb (11kg) animal so hard that it was lifted off the ground, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

A veterinarian determined that Freddie suffered contusions to his right rib area as a result of being kicked.

Marie was placed in handcuffs by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, who found 55lbs (24.9kg) of beef meat, 44lbs (20kg) of rice, 15lbs (6.8kg) of eggplant, cucumbers and bellpeppers, 2lbs (0.9kg) of corn seeds, and 1lb (0.5kg) of herbs in his luggage, according to authorities.

All agricultural products were seized as they are prohibited, to prevent the introduction of harmful plant pests and foreign animal diseases from entering the country.

“Being caught deliberately smuggling well over 100lbs of undeclared and prohibited agricultural products does not give one permission to violently assault a defenceless Customs and Border Protection beagle,” said Christine Waugh, the CBP’s director for the area port of Washington DC.

“We rely heavily on our K9 partners and Freddie was just doing his job.

“Any malicious attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and CBP will continue to work with our investigating and prosecuting partners to deal swift and severe justice to perpetrators.”

Marie was credited with time served after being taken into custody on Tuesday and was ordered to pay the veterinarian’s fee of $840 (£612) for Freddie’s treatment, a court filing shows.

He was also told to immediately report to CBP for removal from the US, and he left the country on a flight to Egypt at 12.30pm local time on Thursday.