Summary
John Stojetz, a white prisoner and leader of the Aryan Brotherhood gang at Madison Correctional Institution in Ohio, was sentenced to death for the 1996 murder of Damico Watkins, a 17-year-old Black inmate, inside the prison. Authorities described the killing as racially motivated.
His execution is scheduled for 19 May 2027, but it is on hold: Ohio's governor has said no executions will take place unless the legislature adopts a new execution method, and every Ohio date since 2019 has been postponed. His date has already been moved once, from 14 March 2024.
The crime
On 25 April 1996, Stojetz and five other adult prisoners, all members of the Aryan Brotherhood at Madison Correctional Institution in London, Ohio, armed themselves with homemade knives and went to the unit where juveniles convicted as adults were housed. According to court records, they had said they refused to be housed with Black inmates.
They forced a corrections officer to hand over his cell keys and went to the cell of Damico Watkins, 17. Watkins escaped the first attack but was chased down and cornered, and Stojetz and another gang member stabbed him to death.
Stojetz was charged with aggravated murder with prior calculation and design, with a death penalty specification for committing murder while a prisoner. He pleaded not guilty, but a jury convicted him and recommended a death sentence, which the court imposed. Three of the other men pleaded guilty to their roles.
Legal history
- 25 April 1996Damico Watkins killed at Madison Correctional Institution in London, Ohio
- 17 October 1996A Madison County grand jury indicts Stojetz for aggravated murder
- TrialConvicted and sentenced to death on the jury's recommendation
- 17 February 1999Ohio Supreme Court upholds the conviction and death sentence
- June 2018Federal appeals court rejects his challenges, including claims of innocence and that his death sentence was arbitrary
- 25 March 2019The Madison County prosecutor asks for an execution date, saying Stojetz has exhausted his appeals
- 2019Ohio Supreme Court sets an execution date of 14 March 2024
- 2023Governor Mike DeWine grants a reprieve, moving the date to 19 May 2027
Current status
The execution is scheduled for 19 May 2027 at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, but it is on hold. Governor Mike DeWine has said no executions will take place unless the Ohio legislature adopts a new execution method, and he has postponed every Ohio execution date since 2019, usually by about three years at a time.
Governor DeWine leaves office in January 2027. Whether Ohio executions resume will depend on the next governor and on any change in state law, so this date may be postponed again.
Stojetz has been on death row for more than 25 years.
Sources
- WDTN / AP: court sets execution date for John Stojetz
- 10TV / AP: prosecutor seeks execution date
- Justia: federal appeals court ruling, Stojetz v. Ishee (2018)
- Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch: background on the case
- Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction: execution schedule
- Death Penalty Information Center: upcoming executions