Execution Report: Matthew Johnson

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A jury found Johnson guilty of capital murder in December 2013 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in November 2015. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

Johnson's execution took place 13 years to the day after he killed Harris. Some of her family members attended and watched from a viewing room adjacent to the death chamber.

Johnson began his last statement by praising God. He then looked at his victim's relatives and asked for their forgiveness. "I never meant to hurt her," he said. He thanked his spiritual advisors and the administration at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Polunsky Unit, where Death Row is located. He told his wife, "I'm sorry for giving up. I'm sorry for quitting. I ask that you forgive me as well." Then, mentioning his daughters by name, he said, "I ask that you forgive me for giving up on y'all and walking away. Just know that it's nothing that y'all did. I made wrong choices, I've made wrong decisions, and now I pay the consequences."

Johnson concluded his last statement by speaking to his fellow condemned prisoners on Death Row and once again thanking the Lord and asking for His forgiveness. The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead at 6:53 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 28 May 2025.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, court documents, Associated Press.