In the winter of 1991, on December 21st, a dedicated Atlanta Police Officer, Niles Johantgen, a 32-year-old male, was engaged in his duties on Henry Thomas Drive. A United States Marine Corps veteran who had served with the department for three years, he was in the process of frisking a suspect in connection with a drug arrest he had just made at a nearby home.
Known affectionately by some as the 'Russian' for his resemblance to the character in the 'Rocky' movie, Officer Johantgen was a father of two sons.
The situation took a tragic and violent turn when another man, angered by the arrest and the search of his friends, ambushed the officer. Striking him from behind in the back of the head, the assailant caused Officer Johantgen to fall to the ground. The attacker then brutally shot him in the back of the head, ending his life. The senseless act of violence left a wife without her husband and two sons without their father.
The man responsible for Officer Johantgen's murder was identified as Norris Speed. In 1993, Speed was tried, convicted of malice murder, and subsequently sentenced to death for the killing of the officer. However, the legal journey of the case did not end there. Years later, in 2010, an appeals judge overturned the death sentence, citing improper advice given to the trial jury by a sheriff's deputy.
To avoid a new penalty hearing where the death penalty could once again be sought, Norris Speed agreed to a new sentence in February 2017. He was re-sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life incarcerated for the murder of Officer Niles Johantgen.
