Executed
James Johnson
James Johnson was executed by the state of Missouri in January 2002 at Potosi, where he had been held in state custody. A columnist, then a young newspaper editor, attended as an official state witness and described the process as clinical, with no visible struggle. Johnson made a statement before the lethal drugs were administered. The witness account says he appeared to go to sleep.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state
Reported by: the columnist, a young newspaper editor who attended as an official state witness (reporters).