Former CHP Officer Hyperventilates & Collapses In Court As Jury Declares Her Guilty Of First-Degree Murder
A former California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer collapsed in court today as she was found guilty of first-degree murder.
Tomiekia Johnson, 32, was accused of intentionally shooting her 31-year-old husband, Marcus Lavar Lemons, to death on a Compton street on February 21, 2009. She had been out on $2 million bail during her trial. As she entered the courtroom to hear the verdict, she hyperventilated. The court clerk announced the verdict, and Johnson "slumped in her chair and collapsed beneath the defense table, eventually lying flat on her back," reports City News Service.
Paramedics treated her at the scene for approximately 15 minutes, and she was then handcuffed to a gurney and transported to the jail ward of County-USC Medical Center for further treatment. Her attorney says "she's going to be OK," stating that Johnson is "emotionally exhausted."
Johnson claimed the shooting was accidental and in self-defense, explaining to jurors that the two had a few drinks at a T.G.I. Friday's in Compton and an argument between the two ensued as they drove home. She pulled off the Riverside (91) Freeway at the Central Avenue off-ramp when her husband threatened to kill her and began choking her. She said her husband's actions were sparked by his anger over Johnson speaking with a male childhood friend at the restaurant that evening. After Lemons refused to exit her vehicle and grabbed the keys from the ignition, the two began fighting over her purse, which contained a handgun. Some news sources, such as City News Service, report Johnson ran from the car then turned back in fear her husband would find her gun and shoot her. She saw the gun on the ground and reacted. "When I grabbed it tight," said Johnson of the gun, "it fired." Lemons was struck once in the head. After the shooting, Johnson drove to her parents' house in Compton and had her mother call the police.
During her testimony, Johnson said she did not intend to shoot her husband. "The gun went off and it struck him in the head." Deputy District Attorney Natalie Adomian told jurors, "This was an intentional murder and not out of self-defense." Prosecutors, focusing on forensic evidence, including blood patterns and gunshot residue, said Johnson exited the vehicle, walked around to the passenger side door and fired intentionally at Lemons through the open door.
Johnson faces 50 years to life in prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for March 9. After the verdict was read, Johnson's bail was revoked, and she was ordered into custody.
