NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Convicted murderer Donnie Johnson has been moved to death watch ahead of this week's scheduled execution.
The Tennessee Department of Correction said Johnson was moved shortly after midnight Tuesday in accordance with death watch protocol – a three-day period in which strict guidelines are implemented to maintain security and control.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would not halt the execution, declining to take up a legal appeal that questioned the three drugs used in Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol.
Johnson is scheduled to be put to death on Thursday unless Governor Bill Lee grants a commutation.
Supporters of Johnson have taken an unconventional approach in their clemency application to the governor – appealing to Lee’s Christian faith for mercy , instead of challenging how the legal process unfolded.
