In the light of a Sunday afternoon in Springfield, Tennessee, a tragic event unfolded, leaving two women dead and a community in shock. On March 10, 2024, 26-year-old Deshawna M. Traughber and 29-year-old Nicole J. Lane were found inside a white Dodge Challenger on Pine Circle, both having sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Emergency medical services were called to the scene, but their efforts to save the women were unsuccessful; Traughber was pronounced dead at the scene, and Lane succumbed to her injuries shortly after.
The investigation quickly led authorities to a suspect, 27-year-old Monray Vontez Johnson, who was reportedly Traughber's alleged boyfriend. A pivotal witness, Johnson's own aunt who lived nearby, saw him standing next to the vehicle where the women were found. According to police reports, when she questioned him about what he had done, he allegedly replied, 'The B**** is dead.' Johnson then fled the scene but was apprehended by Springfield Police a short time later. He was discovered hiding in another vehicle at the intersection of 21st and Blair Street.
Following his capture, Monray Vontez Johnson was arrested and booked into the Robertson County Detention Facility. He has been charged with two counts of Criminal Homicide. Investigators were able to use cell phone pings to confirm Johnson's presence on Pine Circle at the time of the shooting. His phone was later recovered from a fallen tree in the vicinity of where he was found. While an arrest has been made, the motive behind the shooting remains under investigation.
