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11h ago

Texas Executes Matthew Lee Johnson 13 Years After Setting Store Clerk on Fire

Johnson's lethal injection marks the fourth execution in Texas this year and the 18th in the U.S., concluding a decade-long legal process following his brutal 2012 crime.

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Matthew Johnson, 49, is to die by lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary for the 2012 murder of Nancy Harris, a 76-year-old grandmother
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The Huntsville Unit Texas State Penitentiary on Jan. 31, 2024. The prison houses the state's execution chamber.

Overview

  • Matthew Lee Johnson, 49, was executed by lethal injection on May 20, 2025, exactly 13 years after he set 76-year-old Nancy Harris on fire during a robbery in Garland, Texas.
  • Harris, a great-grandmother, suffered fatal burns but was able to identify Johnson before her death five days later; part of the attack was captured on security video.
  • Johnson admitted guilt during his 2013 trial, expressed remorse, and described himself as 'the lowest scum of the earth,' attributing his actions to drug intoxication.
  • All appeals, including Johnson's requests to commute his sentence and stay the execution, were denied by lower courts and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
  • Johnson's execution is part of a broader increase in U.S. executions this year, underscoring Texas's role as the nation's leading state for capital punishment.