John Errol Ferguson Execution Carried Out: 'I Am the Prince of God and Will Rise Again,' Ferguson Said
John Errol Ferguson was put to death by lethal injection yesterday, despite claims that he was schizophrenic and his life should be spared. The U.S. Supreme Court denied a last-minute appeal on Monday afternoon, and the execution was carried out at 6:00 p.m. in Florida.
"I just want everyone to know that I am the Prince of God and I will rise again," the 65-year-old convicted murderer said before the lethal drugs were administered.
His lawyer, Christopher Handman, argued that Ferguson's last words were proof of mental illness.
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"He has a fixed delusion that he is the 'Prince of God' who cannot be killed and will rise up after his execution to fight alongside Jesus and save America from a communist plot," Handman told the Miami Herald. "He has no rational understanding of the reason for his execution or the effect the death penalty will have upon him."
However, the Supreme Court argued that Ferguson's belief "does not mean… that [he] is not competent to be executed."
Ferguson was convicted of the July 1977 murders of six people in Carol City during a home-invasion robbery. He was later convicted of murdering two other people one year later, one of whom was raped before she was killed.
"She was a good girl," Michael Worley, the victim's sister, told the Herald. "I looked up to her. She had a lot of plans for life and she didn't get a chance to see them through. He took it away from her. Thank goodness justice finally prevailed and he was finally executed. I think he got off easy compared to what he did to the victims."
Ferguson spent 35 years on Death Row before being the fifth person executed by the state of Florida.
According to reports, approximately 40 people protested the execution across the street from the prison. They argued that Ferguson was mentally incapable of understanding what was happening and held signs showing their disgust with the death penalty in general.
