Death row inmate makes chilling admission about victim to her family whilst they watched his execution
Lucy Devine
Featured Image Credit: Texas Department of Criminal Justice
A death row inmate made a chilling remark to his victim's family shortly before he was executed this week.
Matthew Lee Johnson died by lethal injection on Tuesday (20 May).
Johnson had been sentenced to death over an incident in 2012, in which he splashed 76-year-old Nancy Harris with lighter fluid and set her on fire during a robbery at a convenience store in Texas.
Court documents revealed how after entering the store, Johnson had poured the lighter fluid on Harris before insisting she open the till.
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He then set her alight before fleeing.
Harris - a mother and grandmother - was rushed to hospital but sadly died days later.
Johnson was apprehended shortly afterwards, claiming that he used the lighter fluid to intimidate Harris and had been under the influence of substances.
Johnson admitted the crime but always maintained he did not mean to cause harm.
Speaking in a statement shortly before his execution, Johnson admitted to Harris' family: "To Mrs. Harris’ family, as I look at each and everyone of you, I see her on that day.
"I just please ask for y’all’s forgiveness, I never meant to hurt her. I pray that she’s the first person that I see when I open my eyes, and I will spend eternity with her."
Meanwhile, in his 2013 trial, he called himself the 'lowest scum of the earth'.
“I hurt an innocent woman. I took a human being’s life. I was the cause of that. It was not my intentions to - to kill her or to hurt her, but I did,” said Johnson.
During his time on death row, Johnson filed a number of appeals, but was unsuccessful.
Johnson was pronounced dead at 6.53pm on 20 May, with the execution taking place without incident.
Prior to his death, Johnson thanked prison staff 'for helping me and treating me like a man and treating me with fairness and giving me the opportunity to get in right standings with my Lord'.
He also said sorry to his wife and daughters for 'giving up', adding: "Just know that it’s nothing that y’all did. I made wrong choices, I’ve made wrong decisions, and now I pay the consequences.
"I thank the Lord for the last 13 years. He has given me the opportunity to ask for his forgiveness, and I thank him for his redemption.
"Welcome me father, thank each and everyone of you for being here. I’m done, Warden.”