Renowned for actively enforcing the death penalty, Texas put its 19th Death Row inmate this year, Lonnie Earl Johnson, 44, to death by lethal injection this week.

Johnson, a black man, admitted to shooting two white teenagers, Sean Fulk Schulz, 16, and his friend Leroy McCaffrey Jr., 17, seventeen years ago but insisted that it was in self-defense after the two pulled a gun and a knife on him and threatened his life.

The prosecutor firmly believed the motive was robbery rather than a racist fuelled attack as after Johnson had killed both of them, he stole their truck and drove to see his girlfriend and pawned the gun for drugs.

Schulz was shot three times in the head and once in the chest. McCaffrey was found entangled in a fence approximately 350 feet away with a single gunshot wound to his back. Investigators found a knife in his outstretched hand. Both families of the boys adamantly deny that their children were racists.

Johnson did not look at the victim’s mothers, both present at his execution Tuesday evening. His last words to loved ones were. "It's been a joy and a blessing. Give everybody my regards. I love you and I'll see you in eternity."

His final statement. "Father, take me home. I'm gone, baby. I'm ready to go."

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More on this story: Link

Johnson’s own account of the event, read the other side of the story: Link

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Written by Sarah L Hanson aka Forensic Femme Fatale

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