Missouri Federal Court Denies Teen's Request To Be at Her Father's Execution
A federal judge has refused the daughter's request to be present for her father's execution in Missouri on Tuesday. The convict is serving capital punishment for the 2005 murder of a police sergeant.
According to CNN, Corionsa Ramey, 19, wants to watch her father, Kevin Johnson, be executed, but the state law forbids anybody under 21 from attending an execution.
Ramey and her ACLU lawyers argued that the statute violated Ramey's rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments and filed a complaint against state officials asking the court to postpone Johnson's execution unless Ramey was allowed permission to attend as a witness.
In a statement to the ACLU, Ramey said it "broke her heart" that she would miss the final moment of the most important person in her life.
"He has been there for me my whole life, even though he's been incarcerated," the teenager commented.
Kevin Johnson Killed Missouri Police Sergeant William McEntee When He Was 19 Years Old
Officer William McEntee of the Kirkwood, Missouri, police department was one of three officers dispatched to pick up the then 19-year-old Kevin Johnson for suspicion of violating his parole.
Johnson woke up his younger brother when they knocked on the door, and he fled to his grandmother's home next door for protection, per New York Daily News.
Joseph Long, the 12-year-old brother, passed away after collapsing at home and having a seizure. He was born with a heart condition.
Johnson saw how McEntee physically held their mother back so she could not help the boy. Later that evening, Johnson shot the officer after accusing McEntee of being responsible for his brother's death.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed an emergency motion to allow Ramey to be present when her 37-year-old father was put to death.
However, late Friday, U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes determined that the constitutional rights of the teenager would not be violated by Missouri's law that prohibits anyone under 21 from being present during an execution.
Missouri Father in Capital Punishment Requested for Her Daughter at His Execution
Despite Johnson's request for her daughter to witness his execution by adding her to his official witness list, the judge upheld a state statute that prevents those below 21 from viewing the execution of the capital punishment.
No such age restrictions legislation exists in most other U.S. states, said News.com.
Ramey insisted that she should be present for the execution of her last surviving parent so that she might help her father and have "peace of mind."
The daughter mentioned in her opening statement that her father is the most significant person because he has been her only parent for nearly her entire life.
She added that if her father was terminally ill, she would be by his side the entire time he was in the hospital, holding his hand and praying for him to find peace and solace in his final moments.
She continued that she would be hurt by the decision of Missouri officials to prevent her from attending her father's execution solely because of her age.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Bert Hoover
WATCH: Judge denies 19-year-old daughter's request to witness Kevin Johnson execution - From KMOV St. Louis