Man sentenced to decades in prison after pleading no contest in parents’ 2021 slayings
PORTAGE, Mich. (AP) — A western Michigan man was sentenced to decades in prison after pleading no contest in the 2021 slayings of his parents, whose bodies were found buried at a state game area.
A Kalamazoo County judge on Wednesday sentenced Nicholas Johnson to spend between 29 and 69 years in prison. The Portage man must serve a minimum of 29 years before he’s eligible for parole, WWMT-TV reported.
Johnson pleaded no contest last month to two counts of second-degree murder in the February 2021 fatal shootings of his parents, Gary Johnson, 65, and Laura Johnson, 64. Authorities said they were slain at their home in Portage, about 55 miles (89 kilometers) south of Grand Rapids.
After Gary Johnson’s employer reported that he had missed work, police determined that he and his wife were missing. Their bodies were later found buried in a wooded area at the Gourdneck State Game Area, about three miles (4.8 kilometers) from their home.
A medical examiner ruled their deaths homicide.
Relatives and friends who gave victim impact statements during Wednesday’s sentencing mentioned Nicholas Johnson’s mental health issues and said his parents feared him.
Johnson’s parents had filed a no-contact order against their son after he broke into their home in September 2019, according to court documents. They also had personal protection orders against him, but those expired before they vanished.
ABA to host webinar on firearms law Nov. 8
The American Bar Association Section of State and Local Government Law will host a free webinar on firearms law on November 8. Experts from the Duke Center for Firearms Law will participate in a conversation about the legal issues surrounding gun policy.
“Firearms Law: Examining the Current Landscape and What’s on the Horizon Sponsored by the ABA Section of State and Local Government Law” will take place Wednesday, November 8, beginning at 12:30 p.m. via Zoom.
The discussion will focus on the Second Amendment, the Supreme Court’s 2022 New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc., et al v. Bruen, Superintendent of New York State
Police, et al Inc., decision, practical guidance for litigators and policymakers and a preview of the Supreme Court’s next major gun-related case, United States v. Rahimi.
To register for the webinar, visit www.americanbar.org/groups/state_local_government.
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