Matthew Johnson on trial: Jurors in death penalty trial watch grisly video of grandmother store cler
Horrific scenes in court as moment robber killed gas station clerk, 76, by setting her on FIRE and stole petty cash from till is played
- Jurors in Dallas were visibly shaken on Monday as they watched Nancy Harris frantically try to extinguish the fire that would ultimately kill her
- The shocking surveillance footage on the first day of the capital murder trial of Matthew Johnson
- Harris' son, Scott Harris, described the heartbreaking moment he learned of the attack as he was getting ready for church
- The 76-year-old suffered 40 per cent burns to her body in the hold up, which took place at 7 a.m. one Sunday in May 2012
- She died in hospital five days after she and her family decided to turn off life support
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Jurors on Monday were shown the horrific moment a 76-year-old Dallas grandmother and convenience store clerk was doused in lighter fluid and set on fire during an early morning hold-up.
On the first day of the capital murder trial of Matthew Johnson, one member of the jury covered his mouth and another rubbed his hands together as they watched Nancy Harris frantically try to extinguish the fire that would ultimately kill her.
The shocking surveillance footage came as Harris' distraught son, Scott Harris, described in testimony the heartbreak he felt as he was told while getting ready for church that his mother had suffered burns to 40 per cent of her body in the senseless attack. She died several days later.
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Horror: Jurors were today shown the horrific moment a 76-year-old Dallas convenience store clerk Nancy Harris, pictured, was doused in lighter fluid and set alight during a hold-up
He said Harris - who had three other children - didn't want to be kept alive if she couldn't live as she had, so she was taken off life support and died five days later.
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Share'She could not communicate,' Scott Harris said, adding that his mother was sedated.
Johnson, 38, has confessed to the senseless slaying of the mother-of-four on a Sunday morning in May 2012, Garland police say.
Prosecutors are pushing for the death sentence in the disturbing case.
Death penalty: Matthew Johnson, 38, is on trial for capital murder in the slaying
The footage, from a surveillance camera at the Fina Whip-In at the corner of Broadway and Colonel Drive in Garland, shows Johnson pour lighter fluid from a water bottle over Harris' head.
Before he set her alight, he stood behind her taking cigarettes and a lighter as she opened the cash register.
However, as she struggles to open it, Johnson attempts to pull a ring off her right hand but it won't budge. He licks his finger and tries again but it still won't move.
He tries once more, this time successfully. He is then seen walking away from the store as an orange glow becomes visible behind him.
The video shows Harris on fire for more than two minutes, according to Dallasnews.com.
She desperately tries to put out the fire in a sink but when she cannot she walks outside to call for help.
According to testimony, two police officers who spotted the blaze and heard Harris' screams used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire.
When paramedics arrived a short time later, the woman begged them to administer aid, 'help me, help me, help me,' she told them.
Incredibly, she was able to describe her attacker.
Johnson was arrested shortly after in a nearby neighborhood when residents began to call 911 to report that a man was trying to break into their homes. Harris' ring was found in Johnson's pocket, police said.
Facing death: Johnson, 38, pictured in court on Monday, has confessed to the senseless slaying of the mother-of-four on a Sunday morning in May 2012, Garland police say
Crime scene: The footage, from a surveillance camera at the Fina Whip-In at the corner of Broadway and Colonel Drive in Garland, pictured, shows Johnson pour lighter fluid from a water bottle over Harris' head
Prosecutors showed a second video to jurors on Monday, with Johnson sitting in the back of a patrol car shirtless and behaving erratically.
Officer Billy Coffey, who is driving Johnson to jail, tells Johnson that he is accused of capital murder, to which the suspect responds.
'Capital murder? What you talking about, man?' Johnson asks int eh video. 'Capital murder on who, man?'
According to Dallasnews.com, Johnson later tells Coffey that the police only caught him because he wanted to be caught.
Harris suffered burns over 40 per cent of her body. She did not know Johnson, police said.
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