EXECUTION #24

Derrick Lamont Johnson
Executed April 30, 2009 06:23 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas
24th murderer executed in U.S. in 2009
1160th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
14th murderer executed in Texas in 2009
437th murderer executed in Texas since 1976
Summary:
18 year old Johnson and his 15 year old accomplice, Marcus Maxwell, robbed and abducted LaTausha Curry who was trying to make a call at a pay phone. Curry was driven away in her car, raped, beaten with a two-by-four and suffocated with her own blouse. The murder was part of a two-week crime spree involving Johnson and Maxwell that left numerous women robbed or raped from Dallas to Waco, some 100 miles away. Johnson was arrested two years earlier for robbery, pleaded guilty and received 10 years probation that included a stint in a boot camp. He was released from the camp after 65 days for good behavior. In a confession to police, Johnson said he and Maxwell raped and killed Curry, who worked as a security guard and had a 4-year-old child. He told officers where to find her body. His fingerprints were in her car and DNA tied him to her rape. Accomplice Maxwell agreed to a plea deal on two counts of robbery and two counts of sexual assault and is serving four concurrent 40-year prison terms.
Final/Special Meal:
None.
Final Words:
In a matter-of-fact voice, Johnson told his mother, "Don't cry. It's my situation. I got it. Hold tight. It's going to shine on the golden child." After telling her he loved her, Johnson said, "That concludes the statement."
The Execution
Nine minutes after the lethal drugs began to flow, he was pronounced dead at 6:23 p.m.