A Missouri death row inmate who claimed to be a vampire told the family of the 6-year-old girl he abducted and killed that he was “sorry” as they watched him being put to death Tuesday.
Johnny Johnson, 45, lured little Casey Williamson to an abandoned glass factory — even carrying her on his shoulders — before killing her with a brick and a large rock in 2002.
He received a lethal dose of pentobarbital at a state prison in Bonne Terre on Tuesday, and was pronounced dead at 6:33 a.m. local time — with several members of his family there to witness his last breaths.
In his final words, Johnson — who had schizophrenia — expressed remorse to them.
“God Bless. Sorry to the people and family I hurt,” he said in a brief handwritten statement.
Hours before his execution, Johnson ate his last meal — a burger, curly fries and a strawberry milkshake, the Missouri Department of Corrections told Fox News Digital.
Several members of the girl’s family witnessed Johnson’s execution, during which he showed no physical reaction to the injection.
Former St. Louis County homicide investigator Paul Neske, who questioned Johnson the day of Casey’s murder and witnessed his execution, called the killing “more violent and brutal than any case I’ve ever seen.”
The night before the egregious killing, Johnson attended a barbeque held by Casey’s mother, who was best friends with his older sister.
The girl’s mother let him sleep on their couch in the home where the entire family slept.
Early that morning, Johnson lured Casey, who was still in her nightgown, to the deserted factory.
Johnson then tried to sexually assault the girl, who screamed and tried to break free.
He then barbarically battered her to death before washing off in a nearby river.
He confessed to the crimes later that day.
Casey’s body was later found in a pit, under rocks and debris, less than a mile from her family’s home.
During his trial, defense lawyers claimed Johnson stopped taking medication to treat his schizophrenia six months before the slaying and was acting strangely.
In June, the Missouri Supreme Court denied an appeal that argued Johnson should not be executed because his schizophrenia prevented him from understanding the link between the crime and his punishment.
In more recent appeals, Johnson claimed to be a vampire, and said the devil would bring about the end of the world with his execution, the Springfield News-Leader reported.
In response to those claims, former St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch called Johnson’s delusions “nonsense.”
“He’s got some issues — significant issues,” McCulloch said moments before the execution. But “he knew exactly what he was doing.”
Johnson’s execution was the 16th in the US this year. Three other executions have taken place in Missouri, five in Texas, four in Florida, two in Oklahoma and one in Alabama.
With Post wires
