In the late hours of an autumn evening in Browns Mills, New Jersey, a dispute inside a home on Snow Avenue turned deadly, forever altering the lives of two families. On October 18, 2021, 17-year-old Malachi Treherne, a male resident of Pemberton, was fatally shot following a heated argument. The tranquility of the night was shattered by the sound of gunfire, and when police arrived just after 11:30 p.m., they discovered Malachi lying in the doorway of the residence.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy would later confirm that he had sustained two gunshot wounds to his head.
The violence of that night also left another victim, a 17-year-old girl who was with Malachi. She was shot in the chest but miraculously survived. She was rushed to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton for treatment and was eventually released. The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to a suspect, 18-year-old Kai Johnson, also from Pemberton. It was determined that an argument between Johnson and Malachi escalated to the point where Johnson brandished a firearm and opened fire on both teenagers. Present in the home at the time, though unharmed, was a two-year-old boy.
In the days following the shooting, Kai Johnson surrendered to the Pemberton Township Police Department. He was subsequently charged with a litany of offenses, including first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, and unlawful possession of a weapon. As the case proceeded through the legal system, Johnson was indicted by a grand jury. Ultimately, he accepted a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and attempted murder. In March 2024, a judge sentenced Kai Johnson to 28 years in state prison for his role in the tragic death of Malachi Treherne and the wounding of the second victim.
