The court noted that the trial judge considered Johnson’s age, maturity, background, and the severity of his crime when deciding on the sentence. The judge found that these factors supported a life sentence without parole.
According to court records, Johnson and a friend, Aaron Johnson, planned to kill Parker using a metal barbell. To avoid bloodshed, they covered Parker’s bedroom with plastic bags and bludgeoned him to death. They then wrapped his body in the bags and buried it in the woods.
Johnson bragged about the murder, and Parker’s body was found where Johnson had described. Johnson was convicted of deliberate murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole, the only option under state law.
Johnson, now 44, sought a new hearing after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for minors can be unconstitutional. The Rankin County Circuit Court granted him a new hearing but again sentenced him to life without parole.
Johnson appealed, arguing that the circuit court judge misapplied the law and that a jury should decide on life sentences. Following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Miller v. Alabama, trial judges must consider several factors for minors, such as their age, maturity, family background, and potential for rehabilitation.
During the hearing, a forensic psychologist testified that Johnson had an abusive background and started using drugs, affecting his judgment. The psychologist and an investigator both noted that Johnson was not more mature than most 17-year-olds and had joined the Marines shortly after the murder.
The investigator testified that the crime was premeditated and planned over several hours. After the murder, Johnson and Aaron took steps to hide the body to prevent its discovery.
Justice James Maxwell wrote the majority opinion, supported by Justices Michael Randolph, Dawn Beam, Robert Chamberlin, David Ishee, and Kenneth Griffis. Justice Josiah Coleman agreed with the sentencing but believed that Johnson and others in similar cases should have had their sentences decided by a jury before recent changes in state law. Coleman maintained his dissent on this issue.
