Justin Johnson, one of the three men charged in the murder of Memphis-bred rapper Young Dolph, was sentenced to two years in prison on April 12th, for violating the terms of a previous, unrelated weapons charge.
Young Dolph Murder Suspect Justin Johnson Sentenced To 2 Years In Prison On Parole Violationhttps://t.co/Np6KCuKL1f pic.twitter.com/uqmPTa2FQm
— RogerClark @Vibe (@VibeRogerClarke) April 18, 2022
Johnson, who was out on parole during the time of Young Dolph‘s shooting, pled guilty to violating the terms of his supervised release.
The violations include “not being regularly employed, missing mandatory drug screenings and therapy, failing to seek permission before leaving the jurisdiction and being arrested.”
Judge Mark Norris, who presided over Johnson’s case, said he was “bitterly disappointed” in the 23-year-old and believes that Johnson has “squandered” the grace that the justice system has shown him.
Johnson has an extensive criminal history, as his supervised release stems from a prior conviction of three counts of second-degree murder. In 2017, he was involved in a shooting at an East Memphis bowling alley, where authorities reported he had shot three individuals.
Johnson pled guilty to the charges, was sentenced to five years in prison, then released nine months into his sentence for displaying “good behavior.” Upon his release, Johnson was arrested again on drug and gun offenses, and this time, weapons charges were filed.
According to ActionNews5, Johnson told the court he is ready to “put this case behind him as he has ‘a lot going on’ with other charges.” Seemingly referencing his charges in the murder case of Young Dolph.
Johnson, alongside co-defendant Cornelius Smith, has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, being a convicted felon in the possession of a firearm, employment of a firearm and theft of property over $10,000.
Johnson was arrested by U.S. Marshalls for the shooting back in January, while he was traveling in a vehicle on Highway 42 in Indiana. The arrest was made two months after the victim, Adolph Thornton, Jr. better known as Young Dolph, was gunned down in the parking lot of Makeda’s Homemade Cookies in Memphis, Tennessee.
Dolph’s autopsy revealed he “suffered 22 gunshot wounds.” As the rapper was shot multiple times in the back, the chest, abdomen, chin, neck, shoulder and both arms, as Blavity previously reported.