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Suspect in 2009 McDonald's
shooting pleads guilty By Rhonda
Griffin The second of four suspects
in the Jan. 12, 2009, shooting of
19-year-old Jahkee Travaughn Sledge in the
parking lot of McDonald's in Elizabethtown
plead guilty Monday morning to second-degree
murder.
Jason Jamar Johnson, 24, is awaiting
sentencing in the case after his guilty
plea, District Attorney Jon David said in a
telephone interview on Monday afternoon.
“I'm pleased the defendant has accepted
responsibility for his behavior,” David
said. “Moving forward, Mr. Johnson will
serve as a witness in the state's case, with
his future sentencing depending on his
cooperation and willingness to testify
truthfully.”
The
first of the four defendants, Terrance
Demont Daniels (R), has already plead guilty
to the same charges, Elizabethtown
Police
Chief Bobby Kinlaw said of the case. The
remaining two, Ricardo Tyre Melvin Jr., and
Unique Dontia Lesesne, are still awaiting
trial, he said. The shooting
occurred after an East/West game a little
more than three years ago when two gangs met
in the back parking lot of McDonald's,
according to reports. A confrontation in the
parking
lot of the school at the game led to the
meeting at the restaurant where the shootout
occurred, reports showed. Multiple gunshots
were fired from both directions, authorities
said, and Johnson was killed during the
incident. A labor-intensive
investigation was conducted after the
incident on behalf of the Elizabethtown
Police Department and the district
attorney's office, along with other
assisting agencies, Kinlaw said.
“Our goal is to resolve the cases for the
remaining co-defendants in the near future,”
David vowed, “and should this case proceed
to a jury trial, I intend to personally be
involved in the courtroom.”
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