James Wheeler, 44, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for killing Johnny James Johnson Jr. outside a Taco Bell in Oakland in 2023. Wheeler was acquitted of murder charges but was convicted for shooting at an occupied car and illegal gun possession. Testimonies included Wheeler's claim of self-defense during an altercation, asserting Johnson threatened him. Evidence pointed to Johnson's social media posts indicating a propensity for violence. Accusations of racial bias were made against the presiding judge before the trial began.
"I'm sitting there doing my job, waiting for the, um, waiting for the (expletives) to pick me up ... and then, just out of nowhere (Johnson) start talking (expletive), like, oh, 'You finna, you want to die today.'"
"The defense also pointed to posts on Johnson's Instagram - he had the habit of posting the same picture with different captions each time - that alluded to him challenging people to violent confrontations."
Collection
[
|
...
]