A judge has ruled that a 19-year-old woman cannot attend her father's execution because she is too young, BBC News reports.
Kevin Johnson, 37, will die by lethal injection on Tuesday, November 29 for shooting dead a police officer in 2005, when he was 19.
His daughter, Corionsa "Khorry" Ramey, was just two years old when Johnson was arrested over the killing of father of three William McEntee in Kirkwood, Missouri.
An emergency lawsuit was filed on behalf of the young woman by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) asking a federal court to allow her to watch her dad's last few moments.
Johnson included his daughter on a list of witnesses to attend the execution, but according to Missouri law, no one under the age of 21 is able watch an execution.
They ACLU argued that the age requirement served no purpose, however, US district judge Brian Wimes ruled against Ramey's wishes and said it was in the public interest to "allow states to enforce their laws and administer state prisons without court intervention".
The judge went on to say that the lawsuit had failed to demonstrate "unconstitutionality".
Ramey responded to the ruling in a statement, saying: "I’m heartbroken that I won’t be able to be with my dad in his last moments. My dad is the most important person in my life. He has been there for me my whole life, even though he’s been incarcerated."
Johnson's legal team has filed appeals in the hope of sparing his life. His lawyers maintain that he was indeed guilty of the crime but insist that racism played a part in the father being handed the death penalty.
The ACLU has urged the state of Missouri to "do right" by Ramey, writing on Twitter: "A federal judge has denied Ramey's request to witness her father Kevin Johnson's execution. There is no dignity in a state killing its residents - and the state of Missouri can still do right by Khorry if the governor grants her father clemency."
Johnson's lawyer, Shawn Nolan, told the press, per Sky News: "It's ironic that Kevin was 19 years old when he committed this crime and they still want to move forward with this execution, but they won't allow his daughter, who's 19 at this time, in because she's too young."
McEntee was one of several officers dispatched to Johnson's home to serve an arrest warrant on July 5, 2005, due to an alleged probation violation.
Johnson's then 12-year-old brother who suffered a congenital heart defect, collapsed and began having a seizure. He later passed away in hospital.
Later McEntree came back to the area to investigate unrelated reports of fireworks being set off, and Johnson fired fatal gunshots at the officer.
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