Man on Death Row Commits Suicide
A Texas death row inmate killed himself hours before he was to be executed, proclaiming his innocence in a message scrawled in his own blood.
Michael Johnson, 29, was found at 2:45 a.m. after he used a makeshift metal blade to cut his jugular vein and an artery in his right arm, Texas prison spokeswoman Michelle Lyons said.
The suicide occurred despite close vigilance on death row, where guards check every 15 minutes on inmates.
Johnson was sentenced to die for the Sept. 10, 1995, shooting death of Jeff Wetterman, 27, during a convenience store robbery.
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