13 years after setting a beloved Texas grandma on fire, Matthew Johnson will be executed

Exactly 13 years ago on Tuesday, Nancy Judith Harris unknowingly clocked in for the last time at the Fina Whip-In convenience where she worked in a Dallas suburb.

The beloved grandmother was attacked during a robbery on May 20, 2012, and left the store in an ambulance, suffering from severe burns all over her body. The robber had poured lighter fluid over her head and set her on fire.

Five days later, she succumbed to the burns and was taken off life support. She was 76.

Now Texas is set to execute Harris’ convicted killer, Matthew Lee Johnson, by lethal injection on Tuesday, May 20. If the execution moves forward, Johnson will be the fourth inmate executed in Texas this year and the 18th in the nation.

Also Tuesday, Indiana executed an inmate just after midnight: Benjamin Ritchie for the murder of police Officer Bill Toney. That makes Johnson’s execution the second of the day in the U.S.

Johnson has never claimed innocence and his trial attorney told USA TODAY that he is “extremely remorseful” for Harris’ murder.

Here’s what you need to know about the execution.

Nancy Judith Harris: Beloved Texas grandma followed all her robber’s demands. Then he set her on fire.

When and where is Matthew Lee Johnson’s execution?

Johnson, 50, is set to be executed by lethal injection after 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday, May 20 at the Huntsville Unit just north of Houston.

What was Matthew Lee Johnson convicted of?

On the morning of May 20, 2012, Harris was working as a clerk at the convenience store Fina Whip-In in Garland, Texas, a Dallas suburb.

Johnson walked into the store and behind the sales counter. He then poured lighter fluid over Harris’ head as she tried to open the cash register, court documents say. Johnson then took two lighters from a display, two packs of cigarettes and removed a ring from Harris’ finger.

Once Harris finally got the register open, Johnson took all of the cash and then lit Harris on fire. Court documents say that Harris, engulfed in flames, ran to a nearby sink to try to put them out.

At the same time, Johnson “calmly” walked out of the convenience store, stopping to grab some candy, court documents say.

Unable to put out the fire, Harris walked outside and yelled for help.

Two police officers, a firefighter and a paramedic responded, extinguishing Harris and taking her to a hospital by ambulance. Harris sustained second- to fourth-degree burns over 40% of her body, including her face, arms, hands, legs and chest.

On May 25, 2012, Harris was taken off life support and passed away. She left behind four sons, John, Bryan, Scot and Chris. Bryan passed away at the age of 64 in February.

After leaving the Fina Whip-In, Johnson ran throughout the neighborhood behind the convenience store, shedding his clothing. By the time officers caught him that morning, Johnson asked, according to court records: “What took you so long? Y’all are getting slow.”

Who was Nancy Harris?

A devoted grandma and avid Dallas Cowboys fan, Harris would “give you the shirt off her back,” Elizabeth Harris, Nancy’s daughter-in-law, told USA TODAY.

For several years up until her death, Harris spent Friday afternoons doting on her three granddaughters, Lorelai, Hannah and Olivia Harris, who are now 23, 21 and 18. They bought trinkets at Dollar Tree, ate at McDonald’s and played for hours back at Harris’ house. They called them “Nini Days,” based on the nickname the girls had for Harris.

“She loved it. The girls loved it,” Elizabeth said.

Around the time Elizabeth and Harris’ son Chris got married in 2000, Harris had a health scare, and doctors told her she needed to cut down on sodium. Initially, Harris tried to cut out all salt.

“(She) just wanted to make sure she was there to watch the kids graduate and get married and all of the things,” Elizabeth said. “She took it seriously when they (doctors) told her, ‘You need to take care of your health.’ After that, she was as healthy as humanly possible so that she could be there for her grandkids and her family.”

Who is Matthew Lee Johnson?

A Dallas native, Johnson spent the majority of his childhood unsupervised, raised largely by his two older brothers and cousins, who introduced him to marijuana at the age of 7, according to Johnson’s clemency petition. In middle school, Johnson began using crack cocaine and PCP.

At 19, Johnson married his wife Daphne and initially, was able to hide his drug use from her, the Johnson’s clemency petition said. But before long, his drug addiction became “quite serious,” and one time, Johnson’s friend had to “hogtie” him to his bed because of his manic behavior, the petition said.

In his mid-20s, Johnson sought addiction treatment, but he quickly relapsed.

In 2004, Johnson was sentenced to five years of prison for a robbery while on drugs. In prison, Johnson became sober and Daphne recalled that her husband’s mood became “upbeat” and he enrolled in a parenting class, according to his clemency petition.

Johnson was released from prison in 2009 and remained sober for several years. He found solace in working out and fishing to calm himself down, he and Daphne had a third child, and he got a promotion at his job at an auto garage, according to the petition.

But in 2011, the Johnsons purchased their first home and shortly after, Daphne lost her job, according to the petition. The financial strain proved too much and Johnson relapsed again.

“Within months, the progress he had made toward sobriety and improving his life had vanished, as Johnson sunk to a point lower than ever before,” his clemency petition said. “It was during this time that he killed Nancy Harris.”

Since being on Death Row, Johnson has completed a faith-based program and become as active in his wife and daughters’ lives as possible, the petition said.

“While not able to be physically present, he tries his best to help influence his daughters to make better choices and not follow a path like this,” the petition said.

Who is witnessing Matthew Lee Johnson’s execution?

Media witnessing Johnson’s execution will include the Associated Press, Huntsville Item and The Dallas Morning News, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice told USA TODAY.

Elizabeth said that she and her husband Chris will be among the witnesses to Johnson’s execution, as will Harris’ other two living sons, Scot and John, and Scot’s daughter Shelby.

“It is just to the point where … we’re just tired and we just want it to be over with and done with,” Elizabeth said. “The truth of the matter is, there’s no such thing as as ‘healing.’ You don’t heal. Days get easier, but there’s no day where it’s totally healed.”

Contributing: Nick Penzenstadler

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matthew Lee Johnson set to be executed today in Texas. What to know