In the small town of Varnville, South Carolina, the life of 32-year-old Frankie Lee Johnson, Jr. was tragically cut short on March 25, 2018. On that Sunday, Johnson, along with 24-year-old Ghazia Duckett and 19-year-old Lamekia Warren, was found deceased inside a residence on Priscilla Lane. The discovery sent shockwaves through the quiet Hampton County community.
Johnson and Duckett had both been shot in the head, while Warren suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the triple homicide led law enforcement to Tyrase Akil Collins, who was 17 years old at the time of the killings. During a search of Collins' home on Crews Street, investigators discovered at least three firearms linked to the murders. One of these was a Draco-style semi-automatic pistol that belonged to Frankie Johnson, which was found in Collins' bedroom. Another gun was ballistically matched to shell casings found at the crime scene, and a third firearm, originally belonging to Ghazia Duckett, was also recovered.
The legal proceedings that followed brought some measure of closure to the families of the victims. In November 2023, a Hampton County jury convicted Tyrase Akil Collins for the murders of Johnson, Duckett, and Warren. On July 22, 2024, Collins, then 24, was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences. He also received an additional 30 years for armed robbery and five years for possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
Another man, 40-year-old Lorenzo Boles, was also implicated in the crime. Boles was found guilty of four counts of accessory before the fact and is currently serving a 45-year prison sentence for his role in the events that led to the deaths of Frankie Johnson, Jr., Ghazia Duckett, and Lamekia Warren.
