Arkansas Supreme Court rejects death row inmate’s appeal

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the appeal of an inmate on death row for the 2012 fatal stabbing of a prison guard.

Justices rejected Latavious Johnson’s argument that he received ineffective assistance from his attorney during his sentencing following his conviction for the killing of Barbara Ester. Johnson was convicted of killing Ester with a shank after she attempted to confiscate contraband shoes he was wearing.

Johnson was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder in the shooting death of his father at the time of Ester’s slaying.

Arkansas currently doesn’t have any executions scheduled. The state’s supply of lethal injection drugs expired last year and the state has not replaced them.

Johnson argued his attorney should have introduced additional evidence during his sentencing, including decades-old mental health records from his first trial.

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