In the summer of 2016, a dispute between childhood friends in Macon, Georgia, tragically escalated, leaving a young man dead and his friend facing a lifetime behind bars. Jovante Passard, a 23-year-old male, was fatally shot on the evening of July 15, 2016. The incident unfolded on the front lawn of a residence at 852 Trade Wind Road. Passard was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds and was rushed to Navicent Health Hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into Passard's death quickly pointed to his childhood friend, Hymetheus Malik Johnson, who was 20 years old at the time. Evidence presented during the subsequent trial revealed that the two men, along with two other friends, had been at a local barbershop earlier that day. They later went to the home of Johnson's mother on Trade Wind Road. Johnson, described as being in a 'murderous rage' following a recent breakup and having sent threatening text messages to his ex-girlfriend, got into a heated argument with his mother. Witnesses reported that Passard intervened, telling Johnson not to speak to his mother in that manner. The argument then turned between Johnson and Passard, culminating in Johnson shooting Passard twice.
Following the shooting, Johnson fled the scene in a 1999 green Honda Accord that belonged to his other two friends. A warrant for his arrest on a charge of murder was issued. A month-long search for Johnson ended on August 12, 2016, when he was located and arrested without incident in Lithonia, Georgia. The arrest was made by the U.S. Marshals Southeastern Regional Fugitive Task Force and Bibb County Sheriff's Office investigators, acting on a tip from Crimestoppers.
In October 2016, a Bibb County grand jury indicted Hymetheus Johnson on two counts of murder and one count of carjacking. During his trial, prosecutors argued that Johnson was a 'powder keg' and that Passard's act of defending Johnson's mother was the 'match' that ignited his violent outburst. After a three-day trial and about an hour of deliberation, the jury found Johnson guilty of murder and theft. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison for the killing of his childhood friend.
