On Oct. 6, 1978 Johnson and his "so-called" friend and accomplice, Carl Baltimore, decided to rob Wayne's Food Mart in Houston. Ed Thompson was the 75-year-old security guard on duty that night. When the two came in armed, demanding money, Thompson pulled his gun and fired a shot. Johnson then turned and pointed his .38 revolver toward Thompson and fired back five times. Later he claimed to doing this in self-defense. Thompson died of fatal shots to the head, while the robbers got away with only some change.
Johnson's execution took place on Sept. 19, 1995 at 12:24 a.m. He was only 40 years old. His final statement was, "I want the world to know I am innocent. I have found peace. Let's ride. I'm ready." He was put to death by lethal injection. It took only eight minutes for him to die.