On a Friday night in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the life of 22-year-old James Malik Johnson of Houston, Texas, was cut short in a fatal encounter. It was March 25, 2022, when Johnson, along with 18-year-old Jacob Yarbrough, also from Houston, were found as victims of a double homicide near the intersection of Common and LaGrange streets. The incident unfolded in what authorities believe was a drug transaction that turned violent.
The Lake Charles Police Department was called to the scene
in the 500 block of East LaGrange Street, where they discovered a grim tableau. One of the victims was found lying outside a Chevrolet Impala that was parked in the middle of the road. The second victim was located a short distance away in the 3500 block of Common Street, where he was pronounced deceased by emergency medical personnel. The investigation into the double homicide was quickly launched by Lake Charles Police detectives.
Less than two months after the shooting, on May 11, 2022, the Lake Charles Police Department announced the arrests of two suspects in connection with the deaths of Johnson and Yarbrough. Zyterius Anderson, 19, and Jamarcus Miller, 20, were taken into custody and each charged with two counts of second-degree murder. A judge set their bonds at $1.8 million each. It was also noted that Miller had been arrested in a separate shooting incident just a month prior. According to police, Johnson and Yarbrough had traveled from Texas to Lake Charles to conduct a drug deal, and it was during this transaction that the fatal shooting occurred, after which the suspects fled the scene.
