Man pleads not guilty to murder charge
A 21-year-old Texarkana, Texas, man pleaded not guilty Tuesday at a hearing in Miller County, Ark., to a murder charge related to a shooting described as drug-related by police.
Laderrick Travalen Johnson Jr. appeared with Texarkana lawyer
Anthony Biddle before Circuit Judge Brent Haltom in a courtroom at the Miller County jail complex Tuesday morning. With Biddle’s help, Johnson entered a plea of not guilty to first-degree murder in the Nov. 2 shooting death of Leroy Davis, 44, at a Texarkana, Ark., apartment complex.
Earlier this month Biddle filed a motion asking for a reduction in Johnson’s $500,000 bail. After hearing from witnesses, including Johnson’s mother, and arguments from Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Black, Haltom denied the request for lower bail.
Davis was found dead outside the Beechdale Apartments in the 2400 block of County Avenue though investigators believe he was actually shot in Johnson’s bedroom inside one of the apartments, according to statements made in court, search warrant affidavits and earlier press statements used to create the following account.
Investigators theorize Davis was dragged outside after being struck by a bullet during what police earlier described as a shooting related to “clandestine drug activity.”
Search-warrant documents for the apartment show investigators collected a variety of unused and spent ammunition and shell casings, as well as bullet fragments. Bloodstained carpet and swabs of blood found in a hallway and in the living room were collected as well, the search documents state. A plastic bag with 18 smaller bags containing suspected marijuana were discovered, as were packages of suspected synthetic marijuana. Loose marijuana, plastic bags and measuring scales were collected also. Investigators allegedly found bags of suspected methamphetamine in Davis’ pockets.
Investigators acquired search warrants for two cars as well as the County Avenue apartment. From a blue Crown Victoria, investigators collected suspected marijuana and swabbed various surfaces for evidence testing, search documents state.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Johnson faces 10 to 40 years or life in an Arkansas prison.
Johnson’s current murder charge is not the first criminal charge he has faced in connection with a shooting. When Johnson was 17, he was among a long list of defendants accused in a gang shooting Oct. 6, 2012, at the Chapel Hill Apartments. A 14-year-old girl, who was at the complex visiting a friend, was struck by a stray bullet and seriously wounded.
According to search warrant documents in the 2012 case, the shooting involved a conflict between rival gangs from Texarkana, Ark., and Texarkana, Texas. Johnson, an alleged member of a Texas-side gang in the 2012 case, was charged as an adult with battery, assault and terroristic activity, but his case was later removed to juvenile court and the disposition of the juvenile case is undisclosed. Court records show that others involved in the 2012 shooting were sentenced to as many as 20 years in prison or to terms of probation. llarowe@texarkanagazette.com