HOUSTON – A 26-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for shooting a grandmother to death at an apartment complex in north Houston, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Monday.
James Johnson was convicted of murder after officials said he shot 42-year-old Ladisha Robinson in the head as she tried to flee from him on May 31, 2018.
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“This man fired a pistol into a car full of people, including babies, with no regard for human life,” Ogg said. “Ms. Robinson’s family will never see her smile or hear her laugh ever again because this man got angry and decided to use a gun to get even.”
During the weeklong trial, jurors heard that Johnson, who was friends with Robinson’s adult son, got in an argument with that son and Robinson’s adult daughter at the La Esencia Apartments, located on 300 North Vista Drive, around 8:30 p.m. on May 30, 2018.
Witnesses said Johnson pointed a pistol at Robinson’s 22-year-old daughter who then called the police. By the time Harris County Pct. 4 deputy constables arrived, Johnson was gone.
After midnight, Robinson, her daughter and four small children, ages 3, 2, 8 months and a 1-month-old, got into Robinson’s car to leave the complex to get away from the possibility of violence. Police said her adult son was walking beside the car to ensure that they got away when Johnson fired a single shot into the car’s open window, hitting Robinson in the head.
Assistant District Attorney Katherine Thomas, who prosecuted the case with ADA Whitney Rasberry, said the jury’s decision was justice.
“He is a dangerous person,” Thomas said. “And the community needs to know that this is the result of dangerous actions.”
The case was investigated by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.