Johnny Leartice Robinson
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Johnny Leartice Robinson (July 25, 1952 – February 4, 2004) was an American criminal executed by the State of
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
for the 1985 murder of Beverly St. George.


Background, case and execution

Robinson had faced several criminal charges before being arrested for murder; he was convicted of several previous rapes and was on parole for a rape conviction in
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
at the time of Beverly St. George's murder. On August 11, 1985, Robinson and 16-year-old Clinton Fields were travelling from along
I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...
in
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
when they came upon St. George's car, which had broken down along the highway. Robinson took St. George to a nearby
cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...
where Robinson claimed that the two had consensual sex on the hood of a car. Prosecutors contended that she was
sexually assaulted Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexua ...
. St. George was shot twice, but Robinson claimed that the gun "accidentally" fired, hitting her in the face, and that he then shot her again to make sure she was dead, claiming "How do you tell someone I accidentally shot a white woman?" Clinton Fields, Robinson's co-defendant, testified at trial that Robinson abducted St. George at gunpoint and had planned to kill her. Robinson and Fields were arrested several days later following another rape and robbery. Based largely upon Fields' testimony, Robinson was convicted and sentenced to death in June 1986; Fields was sentenced to life in prison. On appeal, Robinson's death sentence was overturned by the
Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the state supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geog ...
; his attorneys contended that questions and statements made by prosecutors amounted to
racial bias Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
against Robinson. A second sentencing hearing in 1989 restored the death sentence. During further appeals, Robinson's defense lawyers continued to contend that Robinson was the victim of racial discrimination, that he was abused as a child, and that Fields, with an IQ of 50, was coerced by prosecutors into giving false testimony. (Fields did recant his trial testimony in January 2004.) Final appeals to the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
challenged the process of lethal injection as
cruel and unusual punishment Cruel and unusual punishment is a phrase in common law describing punishment that is considered unacceptable due to the suffering, pain, or humiliation it inflicts on the person subjected to the sanction. The precise definition varies by jurisdi ...
. Robinson was scheduled to be executed at 6:00 p.m. on February 4, 2004, but less than 15 minutes before the scheduled time, the United States Supreme Court contacted the
Florida governor The governor of Florida is the head of government of the U.S. state of Florida. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Florida and is the commander-in-chief of the Florida National Guard and Florida State Gu ...
's office, asking the state to briefly halt the execution; the court returned their decision about an hour later, refusing, on a vote of 5–4, to halt the execution. Robinson's final meal prior to his execution was fried chicken gizzards, french fries, smoked sausage, and butter pecan ice cream. His final words before being executed by
lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium) for the express purpose of causing death. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but t ...
were: "Yep... Later!" Robinson was pronounced dead at
Florida State Prison Florida State Prison (FSP), otherwise known as Raiford Prison, is an American correctional institution located in unincorporated Bradford County, Florida, with a Raiford postal address. It was formerly known as the "Florida State Prison-East U ...
in Raiford at 7:34 p.m. on February 4, 2004. His execution was the 895th carried out in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, and the 58th in Florida.


See also

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Capital punishment in Florida Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of Florida. Since 1976, the state has executed 112 convicted murderers, all at Florida State Prison. As of June 11, 2025, 270 offenders are awaiting execution. History Prior to 1923, ...
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Capital punishment in the United States In the United States, capital punishment (also known as the death penalty) is a legal penalty in 27 states (of which two, Oregon and Wyoming, do not currently have any inmates sentenced to death), throughout the country at the federal leve ...
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List of people executed in Florida The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of Florida since capital punishment was resumed in the United States in 1976. The total amounts to 112 people. Of the 112 people executed, 44 have been executed by electrocution and 68 ...
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List of people executed in the United States in 2004 Fifty-nine people, all male, were executed in the United States in 2004, fifty-eight by lethal injection and one, James Neil Tucker, was executed by electrocution. Twenty-three of them were carried out in Texas. . List of people executed in the ...


General references


Johnny L. Robinson
''The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney''. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
Inmate Release Information Detail - Inmate 102767
''
Florida Department of Corrections The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) is the government agency responsible for operating state prisons in the U.S. state of Florida. It has its headquarters in the state capital of Tallahassee. The Florida Department of Corrections oper ...
''. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Johnny Leartice 1952 births 2004 deaths 21st-century executions by Florida 1985 murders in the United States American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment American people executed for murder American people convicted of rape American people convicted of robbery American people convicted of kidnapping Executed African-American people Hoboes People executed by Florida by lethal injection People convicted of murder by Florida Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Florida 21st-century executions of American people 21st-century African-American people Violence against women in Florida