Indiana Death Row inmate wants to donate his liver to his sister before execution

By Mary Ann Wyand

Indiana Death Row inmate Gregory Scott Johnson of Anderson, Ind. a convicted murderer who is scheduled to be executed by chemical injection on May 25 at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, Ind., has one last wish.

Johnson would like to donate his liver to his sister, Deborah Otis, who suffers from a non alcoholic type of cirrhosis of the liver and needs a transplant. She lives at a nursing home in Anderson.

He was convicted of murdering Ruby Hutslar, an
82-year-old woman, in 1985.

Johnson’s request to be an organ donor for his sister has sparked a new ethical debate about the morality of capital punishment and prompted national news coverage.

During a hearing on May 16, Johnson asked the Indiana Parole Board to spare his life or delay his execution to allow time for him to donate his liver to his sister if medical tests determine that he is a compatible donor.

The parole board scheduled a public hearing on May 20 in Indianapolis to review Johnson’s request and hear testimony from his family members and Ruby Hutzlar’s relatives. Gov. Mitch Daniels will make a decision after hearing the board’s recommendation.

Bishop Dale J. Melczek of the Gary Diocese said in a May 13 statement that Johnson joined the Catholic Church four years ago while incarcerated at the state penitentiary and has been a model prisoner.

Citing Church teachings on the death penalty, Bishop Melczek said Johnson’s capital sentence should be commuted to life in prison without parole.

“I certainly pray that the governor would grant him a stay of execution,” Bishop Melczek said, “and instead give him life without the possibility of parole.

“We know him to be a very sincere man,” Bishop Melczek said of Johnson. “Deacon Malcolm Lunsford, one of our deacons, is responsible for his converting to the faith four years ago.”

The bishop said Deacon Lunsford, who is in residence at SS. Peter and Paul Parish in Merrillville, Ind., has visited Johnson every Thursday and every other Sunday for several years.

Because of the pending execution, the bishop said, Deacon Lunsford is now able to visit Johnson every Thursday and Sunday along with the Holy Cross priest who serves as the Catholic chaplain at the prison.

“[Johnson] committed the crime when he was 19 years old,” Bishop Melczek said. “He is now 40. He has been on Death Row for half his life. He is very remorseful. He doesn’t want to die, but he is as ready for death as one can be at this time.

“Here we find a man who has experienced a conversion of heart,” the bishop said, “and we feel that he could be a real asset to other men in prison—an influence for good—if he were given a reprieve. So our sincere prayer and hope is that there would be a commutation of his sentence” by the governor.

The Cathechism of the Catholic Church states that life in prison without parole is the preferred option in death penalty cases. †