ATLANTA — A man will spend the rest of his life in prison and another will be locked up for decades for the killing of a young father who was just helping his friend.
Elliott Johnson was helping a friend fix a flat tire at the Valero gas station around 3 a.m. along Fulton Industrial Boulevard in Atlanta in 2018 when he was approached by Wayne Finnie and Fredrick Stephenson.
The two started arguing with the 26-year-old father when he refused to buy their drugs at the gas station, which Finnie and Stephenson considered their “turf.”
The argument escalated when Finnie punched Johnson. When Johnson got up from the ground, Stephenson struck Johnson with his pistol.
Stephenson then shot Johnson with his 9mm handgun. Johnson died at the scene.
“They left a gaping hole in our family. Elliott was a loving son, father, and uncle. That hole will never be filled. I hope the defendants take time in custody to reflect on the irreversible effects that their actions on March 20, 2018, have had on my family. My family is forever changed,” said Johnson’s mother Jenese Hill.
Finnie and Stephenson were arrested in North Carolina and later pleaded guilty to murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and other charges.
On Wednesday, Stephenson was sentenced to life in prison plus five years. Finnie was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Channel 2 Action News spoke to Johnson’s mother and sisters, who said the young man’s 7-year-old daughter will suffer most because of this.
Hill and her two daughters told Jennings that they lost a man who was a devoted father to a 7-year-old girl. They said Johnson was a person who liked to joke around and who loved helping others.
“He so loved his daughter. He really, really loved his daughter. She was the apple of his eye,” Hill said. “She’s very saddened. She wants to see him again, of course. I don’t think she can quite comprehend that she won’t see him again.”
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