A shooter was sentenced for killing a woman who was waiting in a minivan outside a Central Florida restaurant.
Latavious Johnson, 45, shot and murdered a woman who was waiting in a minivan outside a South Melbourne restaurant and tax preparation business in Brevard County in October 2020. Then Johnson stormed into the establishment, shot her husband twice as he played a video arcade machine, struggled momentarily with the injured man, and was shot in the face by an armed employee before fleeing.
Confronted by DNA and security-video evidence, as well as a possible life sentence, Johnson agreed to plead no contest to charges of second-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder for Jamie Wright’s killing and Theron Wright’s wounding. In exchange, Johnson was sentenced to 45 years in state prison rather than life.
Johnson is believed by police to have shot the couple over a bad debt. Theron Wright survived his injuries but died from other causes before the matter was resolved. Meanwhile, Johnson languished in the Brevard County Jail without bond as his trial was postponed numerous times due to the COVID outbreak and changes in his defense counsel.
The plea deal with the State Attorney’s Office occurred more than five years after the shootings at Lizzy’s and 321 Tax, and just minutes before Johnson was scheduled to stand trial in Viera for first-degree murder.
As part of the arrangement, Prosecutor Mike Doyle required Johnson to enter a plea of no contest to two felony counts of firing into a car or a building. Johnson’s convictions on firearm-related counts compel him to serve at least 25 years in jail before being eligible for any time off for good conduct.
“Mr. Johnson’s going to prison, and he probably won’t make it out given his age,” Doyle explained.
Doyle had prepared evidence, including surveillance footage from within 321 Tax, which showed Johnson and Theron Wright grappling for control of a handgun as Wright was bleeding from two bullet wounds. The footage also shows a firm employee entering from a security office and shooting Johnson in the side of his face and neck, leaving both men bleeding as they surrender and exit the facility.
Police in Melbourne later located one of Johnson’s sneakers at a neighboring relative’s home. The shoe contained both Johnson and Wright’s blood, as confirmed by DNA research. Meanwhile, security footage from numerous businesses assisted authorities in tracing Johnson’s travels from the gunshot spot to Holmes Regional Medical Center’s emergency room, where he sought treatment.
