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‘Game Over’ – Atmore Baby Killer Executed
October 21, 2011
Convicted baby killer Christopher Thomas of Atmore was executed by lethal injection Thursday night at Holman Prison in Atmore. He was pronounced dead at 6:25 p.m. after uttering his final words “Game over”.
Johnson, 38, testified that he purposefully beat his son, Elias Ocean Johnson, to death on February 20, 2005, at a duplex on Horner Street in Atmore because he hated his wife Dana Johnson.
His final meal, chosen from food available in the Holman cafeteria, was a turkey bologna sandwich with tomatoes and cheese, french fries, and an orange drink. When asked if he had any final words as the execution process began just after 6 p.m. Thursday, he said “Game over.”
There was one family member that witnessed the execution — Thomas Eugene Lagos, who also visited Johnson during the day.
“He paid his price,” Largos said, according to media pool reports. “He’s been waiting on this awhile.”
“Thursday I will be granted closure finally,” Dana Johnson told NorthEscambia.com in an exclusive interview earlier in the week. Now living in Arizona, she did not attend the execution. “Although I normally do not agree with capital punishment, I will not lose any sleep over this particular execution. Whether it is right or wrong I feel that a weight will be lifted from my soul on Thursday, and finally I will feel relief.”
“You go see Jesus,” were the last words Christopher Johnson said to his son, he testified at his trial, before beating him to death.
Those words have unimaginably haunted Dana Johnson for over six years. She’s rarely spoken about the murder, and shared photos of baby Elias for the first-time ever in a NorthEscambia.com story published Monday.
“My son was the most delightful calm little boy I have ever known. Christopher Johnson took him from me. I have spent years trying to heal from this unimaginable pain,” Dana Johnson said. “I am scarred by this, and Christopher took away my son, my trust in other people, and even my desire to ever have another child. I still have a hard time being around children because of the sorrow it makes me feel. Everyday I see children that are Elias’ age, and I wonder what he would have been like.”
“I can tell you one thing, Thursday will be a day of closure for me, whether that is wrong or right. I curse the day that I met that man,” Dana Johnson said earlier in the week, adding that she feels sorry that Atmore is associated with this heinous crime.
“I am sorry that the people of Atmore, myself, and my son had to be subjected to this horrible crime. The people of Atmore were some of the kindest and most welcoming people I have ever met,” she said.
Christopher Johnson fired his public defenders and served as his own attorney during his 2006 Escambia County trial, telling the judge and jury that he wanted the death penalty for his actions. It took the jury less than a half hour to return a guilty verdict, and the death penalty was imposed.
Pictured: Christopher Thomas Johnson is scheduled to be executed Thursday for the murder of this little boy, Elias Ocean Johnson, back in 2005 in Atmore. This is the first time these photos of Elias Johnson have ever been published. NorthEscambia.com exclusive, click to enlarge.
Comments
32 Responses to “‘Game Over’ – Atmore Baby Killer Executed”
This man is square now with the house.
He owned up to the crime he commited.
He didn’t try to play the race, economic, drug or social card.
He asked for the death penalty.
He waived all appeals to stop his execution.
His fate is now with his maker.
David Green it is always interesting reading your feed backs and opinions. Keep up the comentary pleas! LOL!
A quick death was to good for this guy.
Most likely he was full of demons.
Death penalty is Biblical.
Lethal injection was to kind of a death for such a monster and way over do.
Amen David, but there is only one Yellow Mama!
REGARDING:
““Ol’ Sparky” is the nickname given to Florida’s electric chair.”
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Sparky:
“Old Sparky is the nickname of the electric chairs in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New York, Texas, and Virginia.” – - – “Old Sparky” is sometimes used to refer to electric chairs in general, and not one of a specific state.”
I’m reasonably certain that was the usage intended here, not a particular electric chair, just an electric chair. It is noteworthy that part of the name might come from the fact that if they forgot to place saline soaked sponges between the electrodes and the points of human contact, sparks might loudly fly around and there was much burning of flesh.
It’s just a foretaste of Hell, but unpleasant to watch no matter how deserving the recipient.
David for generics
@deBugger:
“Ol’ Sparky” is the nicname given to Florida’s electic chair.
Alabama’s was nicknamed “Yella Momma” by inmates because it was painted yellow.
Since Johnson was executed in Alabama, he would have sat in “Yella Momma” not “Ol’ Sparky”, had he been electrocuted instead of put to sleep.
Is Little Elias interred at Oak Hill Cemetary? I visit my family plot there weekly and would be happy, to make sure his resting place is in order,
the bible does speak of forgivness and in the same bibles speaks of an eye for an eye ! I think he should have died the way his baby had to only after being shown the photo’s of this precious child every day and b made to look at them every day of his life !
@ “a mom”-
Do you mean “Ol’ Sparky”?
The loss of a child is the most terrible experience a parent will endure. I know firsthand. If you lose a spouse you are called a widow, a parent an orphan. What
do you call one who has lost a child? Utterly devistated. So many feel disdane for this man for his terrible deed. Yet, how is he different from a mother that dis-
troys her own child before he, or she, has known life at all? this man killed this child because he wanted too. It was not convienent to him for this child to live.
The exact same feeling is convayed toward an unborn, inocent, child when that
child is distroyed before it is born. Call it what you will, but remember, God sees
the whole picture and he knows the intent of the heart .
I won’t try to guess what God’s judgement will be, but for those of you who do remember God does not have “degrees” of sin. There are no misdemeanor or felony sins. So the person that takes the Lord’s name in vain will have the same judgement as this person.
We, society, have judged the human, let God judge the soul.
“Game Over” That is all it was to him was a game. This is a direct frfection of his frame of mind at the time. It was all just a game to him. To the rest of us it was a treasured life God given. So, he lost his game but what he did not realize is now that he has been exicuted the game has just begun. He will pay for an eternity! So the games have begun.
i look at it like this: he callously took a young innocent life- HE, along w/the jury and judge decided that, in turn, his death was the right thing…..altho i realize that most normal folks believe that his final resting place will be eternal hell…i believe that only he and God really know that for sure… from my understanding of Gods word that, even as horrindous a crime that it was, if he truely repented to God and asked God for forgiveness and lived his final days proclaiming that God was his Lord and Savior, then, he was forgiven….if he was forgiven by Gods grace, the bible teaches us that God no longer holds his sin against him at his time of judgement…of course, its natural for us, as humans, to want him to suffer on earth as much, or more, as his victims have suffered (and are still suffering)…i am for the death penalty and i do feel compassion for this mom and her deceased child…im also thankful to johnson that he didnt prolong his fate will multiple, long, drawn-out appeals.
Instead of “game over” I would have said something more lasting… like… “I’ll be back!” (insert wicked laugh).
Seriously, he’s in hell where he belongs, unless you’re devote Christian who believes you’re saved even after murder if you ask for forgiveness, and are baptized in Christ, in which case he’s dining by God’s right hand now.
The death penalty is a tough one. I’ve debated it off and on. My worries with it is too many innocent people have gone to death row (what is the old adage; it is better 10 guilty go free than to imprison one innocent?) but then there is the cost to society to keep someone behind bars for life. But looking at it from a moral perspective, one that looks at our own humanity, I have to think when the death penalty is done as some sort of revenge (the line between punishment and revenge is a very thin one) then we hurt ourselves morally. I have come to the conclusion we should use euthanasias for those we know without a shadow of doubt can not be allowed back into society, not so much as a punishment but to remove them completely from society and the burden it would cause it to keep them alive. I think it better to quickly end the life than have it locked up for years, even decades until that person finally dies. In many ways this would be more moral. It is strange how we treat our own pets better with life quality decisions than we treat ourselves.
His final words, “GAME OVER”? Life is not a game, but a precious time given to us on this earth by God.. What we do during this life determines how we will spend eternity.. This man’s thinking that life is a game sheds a lot of light on why he made the terrible choices he made while he was alive..
Thanks William for showing photos of the baby. Too many times we get caught up with the crime, punishment, and compassion/hatred for the defendant that we forget what this is REALLY all about. Whether or not you support the death penalty, abortion, or want to turn this into some political, religious, or moral debate, I think we can ALL agree that this precious baby did not deserve to die at the brutal hands of his father.
And I will say this about Christopher Johnson; at least he was man enough to admit what he did and accept punishment for it. Call it cowardly or not, at least he didn’t cost the taxpayers millions of dollars by filing idiotic appeals and prolonging his sentence for decades as a lot of death row inmates do. As a Christian, I sincerely hope he found peace before he died. No true Christian would ever wish someone to “burn in Hell” as I’ve heard some remark. Not even a child murderer.
Elias would be in elementary school now had he been allowed to live. Learning his ABCs, how to count, color, and play. God only knows what abuse he would have suffered at the hands of his father had he not been killed, though. RIP Elias.
They should have brought out “Yellow Mama” one last time!
GAME OVER!!! IS THAT HOW HE THOUGHT ABOUT HIS SITUATION A GAME? Well he got what he deserved.
Rest assure that he did not get his final punishment at Holman prison! He is getting that when he stands before my mighty Savior! The Lord makes the final call & I firmly believe that he will have no problem turning this guy away from the gates of heaven & sending to his eternal home in the lake of fire! The child went to see Jesus as he was told by his father & now the father will be told, Go see the devil by his father/creator. How neat is that!!!
One down and many more to go…
Too bad he couldn’t be tortured to the point of death revived over
and over to his final death. Hellfires and damnation await him.
Wow, only 6 years on death row before he was executed. Most of the killers spend 20 years or so.
Its hard to believe that a Man can take the life of his own flesh and blood, more less the life of his own Son as a child. Good riddance to this scab of the earth!
I can say he is lucky he was not my son-in-law and that was my Grandson. He would have not lived long enough to get a court date.
Live in peace with God Elais, and God bless those that were part of you’re short life on earth.
And Chris Thomas, it’s not “game over’. It has just began for you!!!!
Bless the beasts and the children for in this world they have no voice, they have no choice……this little angel of god had no love from his father, but will be eternally loved by our lord forever………….bless his heart!
Bless the beasts and the children for in this world they have no voice, they have no choice……t
Thank god they did something to this sicko, to kill your own child, he should have been beat to death the way he did his baby. My heart goes out to the mother of the little boy….
I agree. He wanted the easy way out and the jury gave it to him. He should have spent the rest of his life locked up alone in a cell with no human contact other than the guards. No baby deserves that nor should the mother and family have to suffer through the pain caused by the death of this sweet little angel. May he rest in peace and his family find comfort in their time of pain.
What a sad story on all accounts. I am not a supporter of the death penalty not even in this case. I pray the mom finds forgiveness one day.
I am in full agreement with you. I do not believe in the death penalty for many reasons that I’m not going to get into, but in this case, he wanted the death penalty and that’s what he received. It disgusts me. He will get what’s coming to him in the afterlife, but I think he should have spent the rest of his life here on earth in absolute misery.
So sorry things like this happened to a lil bby he did not ask for this the father need to be kill my heart goes out to the family
In situations like this,when there is no doubt that you are the guilty party,the death penalty bothers me not at all.Even so,I can,t help but think that a better punishment would have to sentence Johnson to absolute life w/o parole,with enlarged photos of that sweet little permantly affixed to the walls of his cell,looking into his eyes every day for the rest of his miserable life.-Just a thought.