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 Marcus Ray Johnson was pronounced dead at 10:11 p.m. Eastern time,
a prison spokeswoman said. Johnson declined a final prayer and
refused to record a final statement, the Georgia Department of
Corrections said.
Johnson stabbed Angela Sizemore 41 times after the two left a bar in
Albany, Georgia, on March 24, 1994, according to a Georgia Supreme
Court synopsis of the case.
The state Supreme Court on Thursday denied Johnson's motion to delay
the execution. The court also dismissed his claims that new evidence
showed eyewitness testimony was unreliable and prosecutors had
failed to disprove that someone else could have killed Sizemore.
The state pardons and paroles board on Wednesday rejected the
condemned inmate's request for more time to analyze DNA evidence.
 The 27 executions in the United States this year are the lowest
figure since 1991, before a movement to crack down on crime swept
the country and executions hit 98 in 1999.
That in turn was the highest since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated
the death penalty in 1976. No more executions are planned for this
year.
Johnson told police he "kind of lost it" when the woman became angry
because he would not cuddle with her after they had sex in a vacant
lot, according to a court synopsis.
Johnson admitted punching Sizemore, 34, in the face but did not
remember anything else until the next morning, court records show.
"I didn’t kill her intentionally if I did kill her," he told police.
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Sizemore's blood was found on Johnson's jacket, and he had scratches
on his hands, arms and neck, the synopsis said.
Johnson's attorneys say only a speck of Sizemore's blood was found
on Johnson's jacket, consistent with his statement that he punched
her in the nose.
No blood was found on the knife or the tree branch Johnson allegedly
used to sexually assault Sizemore, the defense said.
Johnson's lawyer, Brian Kammer, said in a statement before the
execution that Georgia has a "shameful, disturbing record of
executing the mentally ill and disabled, in addition to those for
whom there are serious questions as to their guilt."
State prison officials denied Johnson's request to have a six-pack
of beer as his last meal because alcohol is considered a contraband
item.
(Editing by Dan Whitcomb, Clarence Fernandez, Victoria Cavaliere)
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