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6d ago

Texas Executes Matthew Lee Johnson for 2012 Murder of Elderly Clerk

Johnson, who admitted to setting Nancy Harris on fire during a robbery, was put to death by lethal injection exactly 13 years after the attack.

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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 at the Huntsville State Penitentiary in Texas after 6 p.m. CDT on May 20, 2025.
  • Johnson was convicted of murdering 76-year-old Nancy Harris in a 2012 convenience store robbery in Garland, Texas, where he set her on fire after dousing her with lighter fluid.
  • Harris, a great-grandmother, suffered severe burns and died five days later, leaving behind a grieving family of four sons, 11 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
  • Johnson admitted guilt during his 2013 trial, expressing remorse and attributing his actions to being under the influence of crack cocaine at the time of the crime.
  • All legal appeals and clemency efforts were denied, with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles rejecting his request for a commutation last week.