Source: Justin Ford/Getty
In September, Justin Johnson, one of two people charged in the fatal ambush of the Memphis rapper Young Dolph in 2021, it was he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. On Friday (November 31), the 26-year-old was slapped with an extra 35 years behind bars, making his chances of being released back into society look even bleaker.
According to the Associated PressJohnson was convicted Friday of two other convictions, conspiracy to commit murder and felon in possession of a weapon.
Johnson, an aspiring rapper, already had three aggravated assault convictions before Nov. 17, 2021, when he shot and killed Dolph, also known as Adolph Thornton Jr., at a bakery in Memphis. The “Talking To My Scale” rapper was in Memphis to hand out Thanksgiving turkeys to families when his visit to his favorite cookie shop turned deadly.
From AP:
During the trial, co-accused Cornelius Smith testified that rapper Yo Gotti's brother, Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, had made a $100,000 hit to Young Dolph as well as bounties to all artists on Young Dolph's record label, Paper Route Empire. said Smith he and Johnson “We were looking for someone” and “I didn't know who we were going to get.”
They knew that Young Dolph and some of his artists were participating in the turkey giveaway, so they headed that way when they saw Young Dolph's car. They followed him to the cookie shop and opened fire in broad daylightsaid Smith. Young Dolph was hit 22 times and died at the scene.
Prosecutor Paul Hagerman noted during the sentencing hearing that Johnson committed the murder-for-hire at noon in a public place “without hesitation. Members of Dolph's family also made statements, including his sister, who said in a statement that the family feels “anger, anxiety and sadness” over the death of Dolph, who “created a legacy that will last long after this the tragedy”.
“In a world filled with envy, jealousy and arrogance, many fail to realize the impact of their actions until it is too late,” the statement continued.
