Bio

Dorsie Lee Johnson Jr. was born on March 10, 1967. He was 19 years old when he committed the crime that led to his conviction and death sentence. Johnson had previously been convicted of burglary in Waco, Texas, in 1985. He was placed on probation for that offense, but later violated the terms of his probation. At the time of Huddleston’s murder, Johnson was still under probation supervision.

During the punishment phase of his trial, Johnson’s father testified that his son’s problems were connected to drug use, immaturity, and personal losses within the family. His father said Johnson’s mother had died after a stroke in 1984 and that Johnson’s sister had been murdered in 1985. The defense argued that Johnson’s youth and background should be considered as mitigating factors.

The prosecution presented a different picture, focusing on Johnson’s history of violence and later criminal conduct. Evidence was introduced about other violent incidents, including an attempted murder and robbery of another store clerk in Colorado City, Texas, after Huddleston’s killing.

Murder Story

On March 23, 1986, Dorsie Lee Johnson Jr. and Amanda Miles decided to rob an Allsup’s convenience store in Snyder, Texas. Before committing the robbery, they went to the store to look at the layout and determine how many employees were working. They saw that Jack Huddleston, a 53-year-old clerk, was the only employee on duty during the early morning hours. Johnson and Miles left the store, made their final plans, and later returned.

Johnson entered the store carrying a handgun. After waiting for other customers to leave, he asked Huddleston whether the store had gallon-sized containers of orange juice. Huddleston went to check inside the cooler. Johnson followed him, announced the robbery, and ordered Huddleston to lie on the floor. Huddleston obeyed and placed his hands behind his head. Johnson then shot him once in the back of the head or neck area with a .25-caliber pistol, killing him. While Johnson was in the cooler area, Miles emptied the cash registers. The robbery netted about $160 to $161.92, along with cigarettes and beer.

A few weeks later, Johnson was arrested after another robbery and attempted murder of a store clerk in Colorado City, Texas. In that case, clerk Don Burrus survived being shot in the head but was left severely injured. Johnson and George Edward Miles were arrested shortly afterward. During questioning, authorities connected Johnson to the Snyder killing. Johnson confessed to the robbery and murder of Jack Huddleston. Amanda Miles pleaded guilty and received a life sentence. Johnson was tried for capital murder in Scurry County, Texas.

In November 1986, a jury convicted Johnson of capital murder. The jury deliberated for about one hour before finding him guilty and later recommended the death penalty after a short punishment-phase deliberation. The court sentenced him to death. Johnson pursued appeals for more than a decade. His case reached the United States Supreme Court in Johnson v. Texas, where the Court upheld the Texas capital sentencing procedure as applied to his case. His execution was stayed multiple times before his final execution date.

While on death row, Johnson said he had changed and become more religious. In a 1997 interview before his execution, he admitted killing Huddleston but argued that the person he had become in prison was different from the young man who committed the crime. Dorsie Lee Johnson Jr. was executed by lethal injection in Texas on June 4, 1997.