Supporters of condemned Missouri man push for clemency

(AP) –  Advocates for a Missouri man scheduled to be executed next week are urging Gov. Mike Parson to grant clemency, citing his intellectual disability.

A rally is taking place today at the Capitol rotunda in Jefferson City in support of Ernest Johnson, who was convicted of killing three people during a robbery at a Columbia convenience store in 1994.

Advocates for the 61-year-old man intend to deliver a petition with around 23,000 signatures that asks the Republican governor to halt the lethal injection, which is scheduled for Tuesday evening at the prison in Bonne Terre.

Parson’s spokeswoman has not responded to an Associated Press request for comment.