A Shreveport man faces life in prison following his conviction Wednesday, November 3, 2016, in Caddo District Court in connection with a 2013 homicide.
After a three-day trial, Gregory Lynn Johnson, 52, was found guilty of second-degree murder for the June 27, 2013 slaying of Walter Howard, a man he had known several years. The seven-man five-woman jury heard testimony from the victim’s family, law enforcement and expert witnesses.
The jury found that Johnson went to Howard’s home on Central Street early in the morning, pulled out a handgun and shot at Howard after a brief argument on the porch outside. Howard died of a single gunshot to the heart. Johnson fled but was found hiding in a closet in a Hollywood Avenue home several hours later.
Deliberation lasted just under two hours with the verdict unanimous.
“The victim’s family members, who traveled in from Minnesota, Texas, Missouri and south Louisiana, stayed for the duration of the trial and expressed great relief toward the jury’s verdict,” said Caddo Parish Assistant District Attorney Britney A. Green, who prosecuted Johnson with fellow ADA Ron Christopher Stamps. Broocks Greer was defense counsel.
Caddo District Judge John Mosely Jr., presiding, set formal sentencing for November 14. The conviction carries a mandatory life sentence, without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.