In a tragic sequence of events stemming from a years-old grudge, 40-year-old Jeffery L. Johnson was fatally shot in Erie, Pennsylvania, on September 22, 2023. The male victim was leaving a business located in the 1800 block of State Street when a red SUV approached. Several shots were fired from the vehicle, striking and killing Johnson on an East 17th Street sidewalk between State and French Streets.
Authorities quickly identified a suspect, Defonta Butler, who was apprehended in Meadville just 18 hours after the shooting. The investigation revealed a history between the two men, with prosecutors establishing a motive of revenge. It was discovered that Johnson had been found guilty of shooting Butler in a previous incident in 2015. At trial, the prosecution argued that Butler had stalked Johnson for 90 minutes before the fatal encounter, firing eight shots, two of which struck the victim.
Evidence presented during the trial included the alleged murder weapon, surveillance footage, and Butler's own internet search history which linked him to the crime. On June 3, 2025, a jury deliberated for approximately two hours before finding Defonta Butler guilty of first-degree murder. Butler, who was 31 at the time of the verdict and did not testify in his own defense, was later sentenced. On August 6, 2025, Defonta Butler, then 32, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Jeffery Johnson.
