In the early summer of 2016, a senseless act of violence cut short the life of a beloved member of the Lake Charles community. Robert 'Bob' Colston Sr., a 79-year-old man, was going about his business on June 5th, a day that would end in tragedy. While driving his truck, he was fatally shot in the back in what authorities described as an attempted holdup.
The single gunshot caused his vehicle to crash into a tree, and it was only when paramedics arrived to extract him from the wreckage that the bullet wound was discovered. Colston, who managed rental properties and was known to sometimes carry significant amounts of cash, was targeted for this reason.
The investigation into the death of Robert Colston Sr. quickly led to a suspect, a local teenager named Stacy Tyrone Johnson Jr., who was just 16 years old at the time of the shooting. Despite his youth, the gravity of the crime led to the decision to try him as an adult. The community was left to grapple with the shocking nature of the crime, allegedly committed for no apparent reason other than a robbery gone horribly wrong. The loss of a respected elderly resident at the hands of a juvenile sent ripples of concern and sorrow throughout Lake Charles.
In the ensuing legal proceedings, Stacy Tyrone Johnson Jr. was convicted of the first-degree murder of Robert Colston Sr. Given his age at the time of the offense, a death sentence was not a possibility. The court handed down a life sentence, but with the provision that he would be eligible for parole after serving 25 years. During the sentencing, the profound impact of the crime was articulated through statements from Colston's son and daughter, who mourned the loss of their father and argued for a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the man responsible for his death. Johnson began his sentence shortly after the killing and will receive credit for the time he has already served.
