A D.C. man received life sentences in the murders of two men in Capitol Heights, Maryland, in 2019. News4’s Tracee Wilkins reports.
A D.C. man received two life sentences Thursday for the murders of two men in Capitol Heights, Maryland.
Rendell Johnson shot and killed 24-year-old Trevor Frazier and 26-year-old Raymond Giles in April 2019, prosecutors said.
The two victims were best friends, their families said.
"These were two young men that did not deserve what happened to them. They were bright, smart and they had huge futures ahead of them, and they were cut down," Frazier's mother, Tawanda Frazier-Torres, told reporters after the sentencing.
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In court, prosecutors said Johnson thought Frazier was cheating with his girlfriend.
Johnson shot Frazier and Giles, who were in a car with his best friend at the time.
Prince George's County State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy called the double murder a jealous rage.
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"But this wasn't just a decision that was made on the fly. This was a planned execution," Braveboy said.
Johnson plead not guilty, but testimony in court revealed that he confessed the killings to his then girlfriend. He gave her details about how he shot both men, prosecutors said.
"She showed a lot bravery under the most extreme of pressure because she had a relationship with the defendant," said Steven Smith, the assistant Prince George's County State's Attorney.
Police used phone records and a phone left at the scene to tie Johnson to the case. It took a jury 30 minutes to find Johnson guilty of the two murders in July. On Thursday, the judge said two lives were taken for absolutely no reason before sentencing Johnson to two consecutive life sentences.
"When you lose a child, there will never be closure, but, you know, we're very thankful that someone has been held accountable," Frazier's father Luis Hernandez said.
Johnson denied multiple opportunities to speak in his own defense. His mother said during her impact statement in court that she believed her son who has maintained he is innocent throughout the trial.
Prosecutors said in court that at the time Johnson shot the two men he was on probation for brutally choking and assaulting his girlfriend.
