Bio 

Curtis Lee Johnson was born in 1954 and was raised in Texas. Available court records indicate that he had limited formal education, reportedly completing no more than the seventh grade. By the time he reached adulthood, Johnson had accumulated a criminal record that dated back to his teenage years.

Prior to the murder that ultimately resulted in his execution, Johnson had been convicted of armed robbery and was on parole at the time of the offense. Court records and later accounts described him as someone who had spent much of his adult life involved in criminal activity, including robbery-related offenses.

In 1983, Johnson was living in the Houston area and associated with Roy Junior Jones. The two men became involved in a burglary scheme that would eventually lead to a fatal confrontation and a capital murder prosecution.

Although Johnson's attorneys later argued that he had not entered the apartment intending to kill anyone, prosecutors emphasized his lengthy criminal history and the fact that he carried a loaded firearm while committing crimes. These factors later became significant during the sentencing phase of his trial.

Murder Story

On September 24, 1983, Curtis Lee Johnson and accomplice Roy Junior Jones entered the second-floor Houston apartment of 25-year-old Murray Dale Sweat through an open rear window. The pair intended to burglarize the residence and steal valuables.

While the burglary was underway, Sweat unexpectedly returned to the apartment with friends. Instead of immediately fleeing, Johnson and Jones remained inside. When Sweat and another man entered the apartment, Johnson drew a loaded pistol and ordered them not to move.

One of the men ran from the apartment, but Sweat confronted Johnson. According to testimony presented during the trial, Sweat lunged toward Johnson and grabbed his legs in an attempt to stop him from escaping.

A struggle followed. Johnson kicked Sweat, causing him to fall backward. Court records indicate that while Sweat was on the floor and no longer posing an immediate threat, Johnson fired a shot into his chest. The wound proved fatal.

After the shooting, Johnson and Jones fled the apartment. The burglary yielded only a camera and approximately eight dollars in cash.

Law enforcement investigators quickly began searching for the suspects. Six days after the killing, Johnson and Jones were arrested following an aggravated robbery at a U-Totem convenience store in Houston. During the investigation, authorities determined that the firearm used during the store robbery was the same weapon used to kill Murray Dale Sweat.

The evidence linked Johnson directly to the homicide, and prosecutors pursued capital murder charges. Jones agreed to testify and was eventually convicted of burglary, theft, and armed robbery. He received a 45-year prison sentence.

Johnson was brought to trial later that year. On December 15, 1983, a jury found him guilty of capital murder. Prosecutors argued that he deliberately killed Sweat while committing a burglary and that his extensive criminal history demonstrated that he posed a future danger to society.

The defense argued that the shooting occurred during a chaotic struggle and was a reflexive reaction rather than a planned killing. Despite those arguments, jurors returned answers supporting a death sentence under Texas law.

Johnson spent nearly nine years on Texas death row while pursuing appeals through both state and federal courts. His attorneys challenged the conviction and sentence on numerous grounds, including claims involving jury instructions, ineffective assistance of counsel, and the sufficiency of the evidence. Every appeal was ultimately denied.

On August 11, 1992, Curtis Lee Johnson was executed by lethal injection at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison unit in Huntsville, Texas. He was 38 years old.