THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 4, 1994 TAG: 9408040623
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
A defiant Antonio Johnson was convicted Wednesday for his role in the Jan.11 slaying of a Newport News police officer who was posing as a pizza delivery driver.
A Newport News Circuit Court jury convicted Johnson of first-degree murder, robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and use of a firearm in the commission of a robbery.
Judge Fred Bateman accepted the jury's recommendation and sentenced Johnson to a total of 38 years in prison: 20 years for the murder of officer Steven R. Rutherford, 10 years for robbery, five years for using a gun during the murder and three for using one during a robbery.
Johnson, 19, must serve more than six years before he is eligible to apply for parole.
Authorities said Johnson acted in concert with accused gunmanNephus Stanley, 18, who is to be tried Aug. 11.
Johnson disputed that claim in court.
``I was not there when he shot that man,'' Johnson shouted.
On Tuesday, Bateman sentenced Antoine R. Speed to 70 years for first-degree murder, eight years for attempted murder and a total of six years on two firearms charges in the attempted holdup.
A second teen charged in the crime, Earl Coleman-Bey, 19, was convicted last week of attempted robbery and a related gun charge. The jury found him innocent of murder.
KEYWORDS: NEWPORT NEWS POLICE DEPARTMENT MURDER
by CNB