Bio

Michael Dewayne Johnson was born on May 27, 1977, in Texas. Johnson had no prior criminal convictions before the capital murder case. However, prosecutors later presented evidence at trial describing violent or reckless behavior from his past, including claims that he had threatened others, attacked people, and acted cruelly toward animals. These allegations were used during sentencing to argue that he would remain dangerous in the future.

Before the murder, Johnson was connected to a group of young people involved with a stolen Cadillac. His co-defendant, David Noel Vest, was 17 at the time and later became the key witness against him. Vest accepted a plea agreement for an eight-year prison sentence and testified that Johnson was the person who shot Jeff Wetterman. Johnson continued to deny being the shooter and claimed Vest was responsible.

Murder Story

On September 10, 1995, Michael Dewayne Johnson and David Noel Vest were traveling in a stolen Cadillac near Waco, Texas. They were heading toward the coast but began running low on gas. According to trial evidence, the two decided to steal fuel by pulling into a gas station, pumping gas, and driving away without paying.

They first passed other stations before stopping at a convenience store and gas station in Lorena, Texas, where Jeff Wetterman, a 27-year-old employee who had been married only a few weeks earlier, was working.

Vest got out and began pumping gas. Wetterman came outside to assist or speak with him. Johnson then got out of the vehicle. Vest later testified that he asked Johnson if he had the gun, and Johnson lifted his shirt to show a 9 mm pistol in his waistband.

Moments later, Wetterman was shot in the face. The bullet severed his spinal cord. Johnson and Vest got back into the Cadillac and fled the scene. They later drove to Corpus Christi and sold the gun to a truck driver for money for gas, drinks, and cigarettes.

The next day, Vest saw a news report about Wetterman’s murder and told his mother what had happened. Investigators soon focused on both Vest and Johnson. Johnson was indicted in McLennan County on November 29, 1995, for capital murder during the course of robbery.

At trial, Johnson claimed he was not at the gas station when Wetterman was killed. However, evidence showed that he later admitted to a psychologist that he had been present at the scene. A friend also testified that Johnson said he shot Wetterman after thinking Vest had said “shoot.” Johnson continued to insist in later years that Vest was the actual gunman.

On May 6, 1996, a jury found Johnson guilty of capital murder. On May 8, 1996, he was sentenced to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his conviction and sentence on September 24, 1997, and later state and federal appeals were denied.

Johnson was scheduled to be executed on October 19, 2006. In the early morning hours of that same day, officers found him unresponsive in his death row cell at the Polunsky Unit. He had cut his throat and arm with a sharp piece of metal attached to a small wooden stick. He was taken to a hospital in Livingston, Texas, where he was pronounced dead.

Johnson died at age 29, roughly 15 hours before his scheduled execution. His death ended the capital case before the sentence could be carried out.