Condemned Man's Execution Now A Near Certainty

INDIANAPOLIS -- Gregory Scott Johnson will be executed next week, unless Gov. Mitch Daniels overturns Friday's decision by the state parole board.

The board rejected Johnson's plea for clemency, or at least a reprieve so he could donate his liver to his ailing sister.

Johnson, who was convicted of murdering an elderly Anderson woman, is scheduled to die by lethal injection just after midnight next Wednesday at the state prison in Michigan City. Friday's decision means Johnson's execution is almost certain to go forward.

Johnson's case has gained national notoriety because of his request that the state keep him alive long enough to donate his liver to his sister, Deborah Otis.

His family and attorneys pleaded for enough time to do compatibility tests and for his sister to recover from an infection so she could have a transplant.

Johnson's mother, Alice Newman, told RTV6's Norman Cox, "This is a terrible thing that happened. But, that doesn't make me love my child any less than anyone loves their child. Now I stand the chance of maybe losing my daughter also."

Relatives of Johnson's victim, Ruby Hutslar, 82, of Anderson, asked where his compassion was when he stomped her to death during a robbery to get money for drugs, then set her house on fire to cover the crime.

Sharon Barker told RTV6 the death certificate listing of her grandmother's murder, "multiple blunt force trauma", doesn't come close to fully describing how horrible it was.

"I've read that she had 30 broken bones. I just don't understand the viciousness of this," Barker said.

The board voted unanimously to reject clemency for what they called a heinous, brutal crime.

One member of the parole board said he believes Johnson's show of concern for his sister is just an attempt to buy time for himself.

"On the surface this seemed to be a noble cause. But, the underlying facts make this board member believe otherwise," parole board member Randall Gentry said.

After the vote, Johnson's mother said she was devastated and hoped that her daughter can find another donor.

"Hopefully she will," Newman said. "They say they can have one in, what, 20 days? I hope they do."

The parole board vote is only a recommendation. Gov. Daniels has the final decision, but he is unlikely to go against a unanimous vote, RTV6 reported. His press secretary says there is no timetable for him to act. He could do so at any time up until the execution.