Already in prison for life, Calif. inmate requests death sentence to obtain better amenities
By APTuesday, October 27, 2009
Lifer requests death sentence for better amenities
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A white supremacist gang member convicted of murder has told the Southern California jury deciding his penalty that he wants capital punishment because prison amenities are better on Death Row.
Billy Joe Johnson is already serving a 45-year sentence for a different killing and is locked down most of the day.
He testified Tuesday in Orange County that he’s heard Death Row isn’t so bad, especially compared with his current living conditions.
His attorney says the 46-year-old figures that by the time his death sentence appeals run out, he’ll be 65 or 70 years old and won’t want to live longer anyway.
To try to convince the jury that he deserves death, Johnson testified he’s killed two other people and never been caught.
