QUESTION OF THE DAY: Was justice served in the Ernest Johnson case?
Johnson had been convicted of the 1994 murders of Fred Jones, Mary Bratcher and Mable Scruggs in Columbia and had awaited execution for about 25 years.
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No charges in deadly south Columbia officer-involved shooting
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A special prosecutor will not file charges against three Columbia police officers involved in a deadly shooting. According to the Columbia Police Department, Callaway County Prosecutor Christopher D. Wilson told the Missouri State Highway Patrol in a letter on Oct. 1 the officers acted lawfully in their use of deadly force. Special
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State executes Ernest Lee Johnson for Columbia triple murder; state releases last offender statement
The state executed Ernest Lee Johnson on Tuesday, 25 years after he killed three gas station workers and following a last-ditch effort by his lawyers to save him, The Associated Press reported.
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Rallies, vigils hope to stop Ernest Lee Johnson execution
Johnson is set to be executed by lethal injection at 6 p.m. at a state prison in Bonne Terre for the 1994 murders of Mary Bratcher, Fred Jones and Mable Scruggs at a Columbia gas station.
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WATCH: Savannah Guthrie reports on Ernest Lee Johnson murders in 1994
These videos pulled from the ABC 17 News archive show the station’s original reporting in the aftermath of a 1994 triple murder at a Casey’s gas station.
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Two Columbia liquor stores robbed Monday night
The first one hit was the new Arena Wine and Spirits at 515 S. Scott Blvd. at about 9:40 p.m. The second robbery happened at 10:25 p.m. at Arena Liquor, 208 Corporate Lake Drive.
Continue Reading Convicted Columbia murderer Ernest Lee Johnson set to be executed Tuesday
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Convicted Columbia murderer Ernest Lee Johnson is set to be executed Tuesday night in Bonne Terre, Missouri. Johnson was convicted of a triple murder at Casey’s General Store along Rice Road in Columbia in 1995. In February of 1994, Johnson robbed the convenience store after using drugs and hit, shot, and stabbed
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Former CPD officer recounts murders 27 years later as governor confirms plans to execute Ernest Johnson
Randy Boehm, a former Columbia police officer and chief, arrived at the Columbia Casey’s General Store 27 years ago, the morning after the horrific murders of three of the store’s employees.
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Man charged with multiple crimes after alleged Jefferson City bomb threat
A Cole County prosecutor has charged a Minnesota man with multiple crimes after a Saturday morning incident where he allegedly had a bomb and was trying to get money he was owed.
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Woman charged after allegedly setting cross on fire in Jefferson City church
A Cole County prosecutor has charged a woman after she allegedly broke into a church, stole money, a musical instrument and a computer then set a cross on fire on June 1.
Continue Reading Lawmakers, pope ask Missouri governor to halt execution
By JIM SALTER Associated Press Pope Francis has joined the chorus of people calling on Missouri Gov. Mike Parson to grant clemency to a death row inmate who is set to be executed for killing three people during a 1994 convenience store robbery. Ernest Johnson is scheduled to die by injection at 6 p.m. Tuesday
Continue Reading A timeline of events in the Ernest Lee Johnson case
Ernest Lee Johnson’s path from a Casey’s General Store in northeast Columbia to an execution room in the Eastern Reception and Diagnostic Center in Bonne Terre took 27 years to travel.
Continue Reading Thousands call for clemency ahead of a Columbia mans execution
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) State leaders and concerned citizens have called on Governor Mike Parson at one last attempt to halt Ernest Lee Johnson’s execution. Johnson was convicted in 1995 for killing three people while robbing a Columbia convenience store in 1994. His execution date is set for Tuesday, 27 years after committing his crimes. His
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No arrests have been made following multiple subjects found wounded in Jefferson City
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Police in Jefferson City are still searching for a suspect after finding multiple individuals wounded late Saturday night. At approximately 11:55 p.m. on Saturday, officers responded to the 200 block of Commercial Way to investigate a weapons offense. The Jefferson City Communications center began receiving calls reporting a disturbance involving multiple
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Moberly man arrested for existing warrants as well as felony resisting arrest
MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Moberly man with existing warrants was arrested early Saturday morning for felony resisting arrest. At 3:45 am Saturday, a Moberly Police Officer while on patrol entered into Casey’s General Store on south Morley St. The officer learned a male, later identified as 29 year old Arthur Houts of Moberly, fled out
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Man arrested after threatening to detonate a homemade explosive
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A man was arrested in Jefferson City Saturday after threatening to detonate an explosive device on the porch of the residence. On Saturday at approximately 9:14 a.m., Jefferson City police officers responded to the 900 block of Jackson Street to investigate a weapons offense. A caller reported a subject threatening to
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One person arrested following a disturbance in downtown Columbia
One person has been arrested according to CPD, after police were originally called to South 9th St. around 2:30 a.m. Saturday for reports of a disturbance.
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Federal jury convicts man of drug trafficking at Camdenton hotel
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A federal jury found a Kansas City man guilty of one count of trafficking meth from a Camdenton hotel on Wednesday. Anthony Martinez Harris, 48, was found guilty on Wednesday of one count of possessing meth with the intent to distribute. Camdenton police responded to an employee at the Sleep Inn on
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Two arrested after shooting incident in Mexico
MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ) Mexico Public Safety Department arrest one man Wednesday and another man turned himself in Tuesday after a shooting incident on Sept. 18 in the 1000 block of Buchanan Street. On Tuesday, Randy Curtis Jr., 33, turned himself in for his involvement in the shooting, according to a release. On Wednesday Kareem Phillips-Bey,
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MU releases 2021 annual fire safety and security report
The University of Missouri has released its annual fire safety and security report; the report goes back three years.
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