On the evening of September 24, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 19-year-old Shawnquell Stanfield, also known as 'Phat Baby,' was with friends in her grandmother's driveway. The group was casually drinking and smoking when a white Ford Fusion, driven by Tamarion Terrell Johnson, pulled up. Stanfield, who was known to sell marijuana and Xanax, approached the vehicle to conduct a sale.
She got into the back seat of the car, which then drove away.
Her friends became concerned when the car did not immediately return. A short time later, their fears were realized when they heard gunshots. Stanfield had been shot three times, once in the chest, once in her pelvic area, and once in her elbow. The nature of her wounds suggested she was trying to flee from her attacker. The cause of her death was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
An investigation into the shooting led police to Tamarion Terrell Johnson. A Hamilton County jury later convicted Johnson of second-degree murder and aggravated assault in connection with Stanfield's death. The aggravated assault conviction was merged into the murder conviction. Following the verdict, the court sentenced Johnson to an effective term of 21 years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. An appeal was later filed by Johnson, arguing that the jury had been improperly instructed and that the evidence was insufficient for a second-degree murder conviction; however, the appellate court affirmed the trial court's judgment.
