Execution of Man from Missouri to Continue as Scheduled

A man from the St. Louis area is set to be executed Tuesday following a decision from Governor Mike Parson.

According to a release from the Governor’s Office, Kevin Johnson will be executed by order of the Missouri Supreme Court following multiple appeals.

Prosecutors in the case say Johnson attacked and ambushed law enforcement officer Sergeant Bill McCentee by shooting him seven times in July of 2005.

Investigators say he shot McCentee five times, then approached him and shot him two more times “execution style”.

The full statement from Governor Parson’s office can be read below:

Today, Governor Mike Parson confirmed that the State of Missouri will carry out the sentence of Mr. Kevin Johnson on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, as ordered by the Supreme Court of Missouri.

“Mr. Johnson has received every protection afforded by the Missouri and United States Constitutions, and Mr. Johnson’s conviction and sentence remain for his horrendous and callous crime. The State of Missouri will carry out Mr. Johnson’s sentence according to the Court’s order and deliver justice,” Governor Parson said. “The violent murder of any citizen, let alone a Missouri law enforcement officer, should be met only with the fullest punishment state law allows. Through Mr. Johnson’s own heinous actions, he stole the life of Sergeant McEntee and left a family grieving, a wife widowed, and children fatherless. Clemency will not be granted.”

Mr. Johnson ambushed and shot Sergeant Bill McEntee while he responded to a call in Johnson’s neighborhood. Even though Sergeant McEntee survived the first five shots, Mr. Johnson approached Sergeant McEntee and executed him with two more shots to the head while he was crawling on his hands and knees out of his wrecked squad car. There is not and never has been any doubt about Mr. Johnson’s guilt. Nor has Mr. Johnson’s conviction or sentence ever been reversed on appeal. Mr. Johnson’s case has been reviewed in the state trial court, Missouri Supreme Court, federal district court, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and United States Supreme Court.