Kevin Johnson gets death penalty

Kevin Johnson to be Murdered by the State

Despite the auspicious occasion, the atmosphere in a St. Louis County Courtroom this past February 5th seemed calm. Perhaps this was because the result was certain: Kevin Johnson was going to be sentenced to death for the murder of William McEntee, a Kirkwood police officer.
It was also obvious that the sentencing would bring no healing to the families affected by these incidents, nor would it resolve any of the underlying issues: the racial divide between Kirkwood and Meachem Park, the municipality's African-American community. The racism of Kirkwood's police department would not even be mentioned, much less dealt with.
Members of McEntee's family were allowed to address the court before the imposition of the sentence. The ordeal of viewing McEntee's body in the hospital after the July 2005 shooting "will cause me pain and agony the rest of my life," said McEntee's sister, (?), in an emotional statement. Whatever the sentence, "It will never ease the pain we have felt," she added.
"The past two years have been difficult for the kids and I," Mary McEntee, the widow of the slain cop, told the court. "Today we get justice for Bill, we get closure." Prosecutor Robert McCulloch, who had pushed for a death sentence since the start of Johnson's trial, looked on approvingly.
It is hard to see how the Kevin's death sentence will bring closure or peace to anyone over this ongoing tragedy.
Karen Kraft, one of Johnson's two lawyers, reminded the court that Kevin had been the victim of physical abuse and neglect during his childhood, and was not in control of his emotions on the day of the shooting. "But for the death of Joseph Long [AKA Bam-Bam, Kevin's younger brother], William McEntee would be here today," Kraft said.
Bam-Bam died in July, 2005, shortly after collapsing in his family's home, Police who arrived after the family's 911 call and did not aid the 12 -year old, neglecting to even check his pulse. The Kirkwood police (including McEntee) instead used the opportunity to search for Kevin Johnson. Hours later, McEntee died from multiple gunshot wounds several blocks form the youth's house.
When asked by if he planned to appeal his death sentence, Kevin Johnson told Judge Melvin Weisman, "Yes."