In the quiet, early morning hours of December 22, 2023, police in Santa Maria, California, responded to a call about a domestic disturbance involving a shooting. The call, which came in around 6:30 a.m., led officers to a home in the Lavigna gated community on the 1300 block of Dolcetto Lane. Inside, they found Johannes Katya Johnson, a 43-year-old Black woman, suffering from critical gunshot wounds.
First responders at the scene performed immediate life-saving measures, but Johnson’s
injuries were too severe. She was pronounced dead at her home. Her death marked the sixth homicide to occur in Santa Maria in 2023.
Present at the scene when officers arrived was the victim’s husband, 60-year-old Anthony Kevin Larks. He was taken into custody without incident and identified by investigators as the primary suspect. Police determined the shooting was the result of a domestic violence situation. Larks was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail, where his bail was set at $2 million.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint against Larks containing four felony charges: murder, assault with a firearm, criminal threats, and child abuse under conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death. The complaint also included a special allegation for the intentional discharge of a handgun. During a court hearing, a prosecutor noted that the additional charges were related to a young daughter and a nephew.
Anthony Larks was arraigned remotely in Santa Barbara County Superior Court, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges. As of his arraignment in late December 2023, the case was proceeding through the court system. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Kevin Ochoa of the Santa Maria Police Department at 805-928-3781 ext. 2460.
