Bio 

Timothy L. Johnston was born on January 17, 1961, in the United States. By 1989, Johnston was living in St. Louis with his wife, Nancy Johnston. Nancy was 27 years old at the time of her death. Records also show that an 11-year-old child, identified in court records as Michael Federhofer, lived in the household. Some sources describe him as Johnston’s stepson.

Before the murder, Johnston had prior contacts with police, mostly involving disturbance-type incidents, but available reports indicate he had no felony record before Nancy Johnston’s killing. His attorneys later argued that he had a long history of alcohol abuse and possible brain damage related to alcohol use and earlier head injuries. These claims were raised during appeals and clemency efforts, but they did not prevent his conviction, sentence, or execution.

The relationship between Timothy and Nancy Johnston was described in later legal and news accounts as volatile. On June 30, 1989, their conflict escalated after a night of drinking and an argument at or near a St. Louis tavern. That argument led to the violent assault that caused Nancy Johnston’s death.

Murder Story

On June 30, 1989, Timothy Johnston and his wife, Nancy Johnston, became involved in an argument in St. Louis, Missouri. Court records and later reports state that the dispute began after they had been drinking. Nancy attempted to leave in a vehicle, but Johnston pursued her. Witnesses later reported seeing a man they identified as Johnston assaulting a woman.

The beating began outside and continued after Nancy was brought back to the couple’s home. Evidence showed that Johnston kicked, stomped, and beat Nancy with extreme force. Reports also state that he damaged property during the incident, including shooting inside the house and breaking the windshield of a car Nancy had tried to use to leave.

Police and paramedics responded to a 911 call from the Johnston home. When emergency personnel arrived, Timothy Johnston directed them inside, saying that Nancy needed help. The sidewalk and porch were bloody. Inside the home, Nancy Johnston was found on the floor with severe injuries to her face and body. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

The autopsy found extensive blunt-force injuries. Nancy suffered a broken nose, broken collarbone, broken ribs, injuries to her lips, head, face, and scalp, and internal injuries to her liver, heart, and spleen. Medical findings showed that she remained alive during much of the assault.

When Johnston was told that Nancy was dead, he initially reacted angrily and claimed that members of a motorcycle gang had killed her. He later changed his account and said a rival gang had dumped her beaten body near the home. Investigators confronted him with witness statements that did not match his version of events.

Johnston later confessed that he had argued with Nancy, chased her, and continued hitting and kicking her after she tried to escape. A neighbor and Johnston’s stepson confirmed important parts of the prosecution’s account.

On July 24, 1989, Johnston was charged by indictment with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. On May 16, 1991, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. On May 18, 1991, the jury recommended a death sentence for the murder conviction. On July 26, 1991, the St. Louis City Circuit Court formally sentenced Johnston to death for first-degree murder and life imprisonment for armed criminal action.

Johnston appealed his conviction and sentence. On November 25, 1997, the Missouri Supreme Court affirmed the conviction, death sentence, and denial of post-conviction relief. The decision was modified after rehearing was denied on December 23, 1997.

Johnston later filed federal habeas petitions and additional challenges. The United States District Court denied habeas relief in 2000, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the denial in 2002.

In his final litigation, Johnston challenged Missouri’s lethal injection protocol, arguing that the state’s method could cause unconstitutional pain if the sedative was not properly administered. A temporary stay was issued shortly before the execution, but it was later lifted. The United States Supreme Court declined to stop the execution, and Missouri Governor Matt Blunt denied clemency.

Timothy L. Johnston was executed by lethal injection at the state prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri, on August 31, 2005. He was pronounced dead at 12:07 a.m. He was 44 years old.