Justice caught up with a Texas man Tuesday night, precisely 13 years after he set a 76-year-old convenience store clerk on fire during a robbery that shocked the state.
Matthew Lee Johnson, 49, was executed by lethal injection at the state prison in Huntsville for the horrifying 2012 attack that led to the death of Nancy Harris, a beloved grandmother, great-grandmother, and long-time employee at a Garland convenience store.
The execution occurred shortly after 6 p.m., closing the chapter on a case that has haunted the community for over a decade. Johnson’s death marked Texas’ fourth execution in 2025, continuing the state’s longstanding lead in capital punishment nationwide.
On that tragic morning of May 20, 2012, Johnson entered the store, doused Harris with lighter fluid, demanded cash, then ignited her before casually walking out. Despite her severe injuries, Harris managed to describe her attacker before succumbing to her burns five days later.
Surveillance footage partially captured the brutal scene. Witnesses recounted how Harris staggered outside, engulfed in flames, screaming for help before a responding officer used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze.
At his 2013 trial, Johnson openly admitted to the crime, describing himself as “the lowest scum of the earth” and expressing deep remorse. He claimed he was under the influence after smoking a large quantity of crack cocaine, saying he never intended to kill Harris. His attorneys revealed a troubled past, marked by drug addiction and childhood abuse.
Despite several appeals over the years… including arguments that the sentencing was flawed and the execution date was improperly set… courts consistently rejected the challenges. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles also denied a request to commute his sentence last Friday.
Harris, a fixture in her Garland neighborhood, had worked at the store for over a decade and lived just blocks away. Her family described her as a devoted mother to four sons, grandmother to 11, and great-grandmother to seven.
Johnson’s execution came on the same day as another high-profile case: Benjamin Ritchie was also scheduled to die in Indiana for the 2000 killing of a police officer. This week’s executions are part of a wave, with Glen Rogers executed in Florida just days earlier, and Oscar Smith scheduled to be put to death Thursday in Tennessee.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office said Johnson’s time had come, asserting that his numerous legal maneuvers were only meant to delay justice.
“Thirteen years after committing an unspeakable crime, it’s time for closure,” the AG’s office stated last week.
As the sun set over Huntsville, closure finally came… not just for the justice system, but for a grieving family that never stopped remembering the woman who once smiled behind a cashier counter on a quiet Sunday morning.
