Area residents wait for announcement of execution

Gregory Scott Johnson was executed Wednesday night while 22 people in Bloomington held a vigil at the courthouse, waiting for the phone call confirmation of his death in Michigan City, Ind. \nMembers of the Bloomington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty held candles and signs under the street lights as they awaited Johnson's scheduled 12:01 a.m. execution on the Bloomington courthouse steps. This has been the third vigil for an execution the coalition has held in the past three months. \nIndiana Gov. Mitch Daniels denied clemency to Johnson, who wished to donate part of his liver to his sister Debra Otis, who is in need of a transplant. Johnson had been convicted of the 1985 murder of Ruby Hutslar in Anderson, Ind., as well as the burglary and arson of her home. \nDaniels said he had no good reason not to accept the parole board's 4-0 vote that Johnson should not receive a delay to his execution.\n"In view of the family relationship, I accepted the sincerity of Mr. Johnson's motivation in making this offer," Daniels said. "If his proposal had turned out to create a clear, demonstrated medical advantage to his sister, I might well have considered a brief postponement to seek a way to fulfill the request."\nGlenda Breeden, current secretary and member of the coalition from its inception, said she came to spread awareness.\n"I think we're here mainly to be witnesses to what's being done in Michigan City," She said. "The public isn't aware of what's going on. It happens in the middle of the night, so the public is basically unaware."\nPeople at the vigil read a letter Johnson had written as well as quotes and other writings about the death penalty. Many said they were not surprised by Daniels' decision.\n"I was disappointed, but I think it's consistent with his general insensitivity to the poor," said Bloomington resident Robert Epps. "I would have actually been shocked out of my brain had Mitch Daniels in any way negated this sentence."\nMember of the coalition Kevin Spangler said having the death penalty in general looks bad for America. He also said he was disappointed with Daniels.\n"I feel disappointed in Daniels. I think his soul needs a little looking out for it, too," said member of the coalition Kevin Spangler. "You can't fight hate with hate... I certainly don't think it would have hurt for him to have donated his liver."\nJunior Erin Parks was one of the few IU students at the vigil. She said IU students don't come to events against capital punishment because groups like the coalition are often affiliated with churches. She said she wants to represent at least one student from campus.\n"Honestly, when I say I'm coming to a vigil, I hear a lot of people saying, 'I totally agree' and then they don't act," she said. "All I can think is that (they think) there's someone else doing it. They're going to school and have a lot of things distracting them."\nIn the past, other inmates have given organs to family members and friends. Dr. Joseph Tector, director of transplants at the IU School of Medicine and Clarian Health Partners in Indianapolis, said in a press release Johnson's sister is second on the list for her blood type in Indiana and should be able to find a donor. But inmates normally do not make desirable donors because of a higher disease contraction rate in prison. Reportedly, no tests were done to see if Johnson would be a match for donation to Otis.\nThe members of the coalition received the phone call from Michigan City, Ind., at about 12:45 a.m. Johnson was pronounced dead at 12:28 a.m.