Paul Johnson (The Twilight Zone)

"This is November 1880, the aftermath of a necktie party. The victim's name - Paul Johnson, a minor-league criminal and the taker of another human life. No comment on his death save this: justice can span years. Retribution is not subject to a calendar. Tonight's case in point in The Twilight Zone."

- Rod Serling after Johnson's execution.

Paul Johnson is the sole antagonist of the Twilight Zone episode "Execution". He is a thief who breaks into Dr. Manion's office towards the end of the episode. He was portrayed by Than Wyenn.

Biography
At the end of the episode, Joe Caswell, a western outlaw who was saved from being hanged by Dr. Manion's time machine, is in the lab with the body of Dr. Manion, who he killed, when Johnson breaks in to rob Manion. Caswell attacks Johnson, and in the struggle, Johnson manages to tie the cord from Manion's blind round Caswell's neck and knocks him to the ground, choking Caswell to death. Johnson then proceeds to search the lab for money, and Manion's time machine catches his eye. He climbs inside to look for money, inadvertently switching it on and causing Johnson to be sent back to take Casswell's place; hanging from a rope as a posse looks on in bewilderment (having just seen Caswell vanish). As Johnson is asphyxiated, the posse wonder whether they have just hanged an innocent man.

Trivia
Johnson is never named by any character; his name is only known as Rod Serling refers to him as Paul Johnson in the closing narration.

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