A Missouri man with intellectual disabilities was executed Tuesday for killing three people during a 1994 robbery at a convenience store, per the New York Times.
Why it matters: Pope Francis, lawmakers and activists called for Ernest Lee Johnson's life to be spared because of his low IQ showing he had the intellectual capacity of a child.
- He was born with fetal alcohol syndrome and lost roughly 20% of his brain tissue after a benign tumor was removed in 2008.
The big picture: Missouri Gov. Mike Parson declined to grant clemency earlier Tuesday and he was executed by lethal injection at the state prison in Bonne Terre on Tuesday.
- He was pronounced dead at 6:11pm local time.
- It was the first execution in Missouri since May 2020, AP notes.
