RICHMOND, Va.—It was one of the worst bursts of gang violence Richmond had ever seen. At least 11 people were killed in a 45-day period in 1992, all at the hands of gang members who eliminated anyone they thought would get in the way of their growing crack cocaine business. Corey Johnson, who was sentenced to death in connection with seven of the slayings, was right in the thick of it as one of the leaders of the Newtowne gang. He and two other members were sentenced to death under a federal law that targets large-scale drug traffickers. Johnson, now 52, is scheduled to die at 6 p.m. ET Thursday at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., had halted the execution and Friday’s scheduled execution of Dustin Higgs because both men tested positive last month for COVID-19, but a federal appeals court late …