Next In Line To Die: Texas Man Poured Bleach On Victim, Set Her On Fire

After the April 23rd execution of Moises Mendoza, there is currently only one Texas man scheduled to be executed at this time- Matthew Johnson, who is scheduled to meet the needle on May 20th, 2025.

The Heinous Texas Murder of Nancy Harris

"I miss my Mimi, and I can never see her again because of you." - Nancy's eleven-year-old grandson, during the sentencing of Matthew Johnson

At 76 years old, Nancy should have been retired, at home, spending as much time as possible with her grandchildren.

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Instead, she worked as a convenience store clerk at Fina Whip-In in Garland, Texas. She had been employed there for a long time.

According to court documents, on Sunday, May 20, 2012, Nancy opened the store at 7:00 a.m. A few minutes later, she would be viciously, cruelly attacked.

Matthew Johnson walked into the store carrying a bottle of what was either bleach or lighter fluid (different official sources say different things) and a lighter. He poured the liquid over Nancy's head and demanded money.

Nancy, who was certainly terrified by this man standing directly behind her, struggled to open the register. Meanwhile, Johnson used some of his spit to work a ring off her finger.

Once Nancy got the register open, it was only seconds before her head and shoulders were in flames. While Nancy attempted to extinguish the fire in a sink, Johnson calmly left the store, stopping to put a few candy bars into his pockets.

Texas Police Respond To The Scene

Police officers Billy Coffey and Anthony Simon happened to be nearby when they noticed flames and movement inside the Whip-In. Coffey used a fire extinguisher to quench the flames, and Nancy was able to describe her attacker.

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Nancy was also able to communicate to her first responders- her name, her medical history, and pleas for help. She was in tremendous pain with severe burns to 40% of her body.

Sadly, Nancy would not survive- she died after being taken off life support five days later.

The Capture of Matthew Johnson

After attacking Nancy, Johnson basically shed evidence throughout the neighborhood and was seen shirtless and acting frantic by witnesses who testified against him at his trial.

It didn't take the police long to pick him up, and when they did, Johnson responded by saying: “What took you so long? Y’all are getting slow.”

Johnson had a laundry list of priors, including thefts and acts of violence. In prison while awaiting his trial, he was violent towards fellow inmates and lewd toward female guards.

During his trial, Johnson would testify that he had smoked a tremendous amount of crack and had drunk alcohol, which is why he did such a "bad thing."

Did Matthew Johnson Commit A Capital Crime?

Johnson maintains that he set Nancy on fire by accident- that he only flicked the lighter to scare her. However, since that happened off-camera, we will never know for sure.

But does it really matter? Probably not. Johnson committed a murder while engaging in another felony- robbery. That is a capital crime in Texas. The State must also demonstrate "future dangerousness," and with Johnson's priors and behavior in prison, that was fairly easy to do.

So, unless something unusual happens before Johnson's execution date, we can expect him to be the next person to meet the sharp end of Texas Justice.