On April 18, 2023, 29-year-old Johnny Calvin Edmondson Jr. was fatally shot at The Hedge Apartments in North Austin, Texas. Emergency responders found Edmondson inside an apartment with a gunshot wound to the head; despite their efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators quickly identified 52-year-old Stacey Donnell Easley as the primary suspect.
According to reports, Easley had previously been in a relationship with a woman who was also the mother of Edmondson's child. On the day of the incident, Easley arrived unexpectedly at the woman's apartment to deliver furniture and found Edmondson present. An argument ensued, during which Easley allegedly shot Edmondson.
Easley was arrested on April 21, 2023, by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force at his residence in Austin. He was charged with first-degree murder and booked into the Travis County Jail.
The case proceeded to trial in March 2024. During the proceedings, the defense challenged the credibility of the prosecution's key witness, the woman present during the incident, citing inconsistencies in her testimony. After brief deliberations, the jury acquitted Easley of the murder charge on March 28, 2024.
The acquittal was met with mixed reactions. Travis County Precinct 1 Constable Tonya Nixon, Edmondson's mother, expressed her continued grief and desire for answers, stating, "I never will really know what happened." Easley's defense attorney maintained his innocence throughout the trial, emphasizing the lack of credible evidence against him.
