Photo by: KC Defender

On November 29th at 7:40 pm Missouri executed Kevin “KJ” Johnson in a senseless act of state violence. 

Kevin was surrounded by beloved community, including his spiritual advisor, Reverend Darryl Gray who reported, “We read scripture and had a word of prayer,” Gray said. “He apologized again. He apologized to the victim’s family. He apologized to his family. He said he was looking forward to seeing his baby brother. And he said he was ready.”

Kevin will never be forgotten. 

“Kevin Johnson will always be a light, he will always inspire, he was very intelligent. I just want you to take this with you. Continue this fight. This is what he wants, he has given us a lot to fight for.” - Michelle Smith, MADP

Tens of thousands of individuals took action for KJ over the past three months.  Our capacity to work intersectionality to abolish the capital punishment system has grown with the outpouring of love shown to Kevin. We are thankful for the many partner organizations and individuals who showed up across Missouri and uplifted calls for #ClemencyForKJ. 

The fight to abolish the death penalty in Missouri continues. With two execution dates on the books in 2023, we still need your help. You can take action below to help end the death penalty in Missouri.

Sign clemency petitions for individuals with execution dates on the books.

Sign up for MADP Emails to stay up to date on the fight to abolish.

Donate to MADP to increase our capacity to do this life-affirming work.

In Solidarity - MADP