Johnny Lee Johnson, a 45-year-old African American man, was found dead on the porch of his home on 13th Street in Wilmington, North Carolina, on September 20, 2016. The cause of death was a gunshot wound. The investigation into his death revealed that Johnson had been involved in a prison altercation with an individual who was in a relationship with a high-ranking female gang member in Wilmington.
This connection led authorities to believe that Johnson's murder might have been an act of revenge orchestrated by the gang member.
Zibree Washington, an 18-year-old African American high school student from Wilmington, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Johnson's death. Witnesses reported seeing Washington fleeing the scene on a bicycle, which was later captured on surveillance cameras near the crime scene. Johnson's girlfriend also reported that Johnson knew Washington and had spoken to him shortly before the shooting.
Washington was arrested on October 4, 2016, by U.S. Marshals in Philadelphia and has been held without bail since his arrest. During a court hearing, it was revealed that Washington might have been influenced by the gang member to commit the crime. Despite the lack of physical evidence tying Washington to the murder, and conflicting witness descriptions, he was charged with first-degree murder.
In a subsequent court hearing, Washington's defense attorney argued that there were no witnesses who saw Washington pull the trigger and that the police had received different descriptions of the assailant, none of which matched Washington. Additionally, a woman who identified Washington from a photograph was only shown a photo of Washington and no one else.
On the day jury selection was set to begin for Washington's trial, he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received a sentence of 8-10 years in prison. This plea deal concluded the legal proceedings related to Johnny Lee Johnson's death, bringing some closure to the case.
