Federal Jury Convicts Fort Towson Resident of Voluntary Manslaughter

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that Shonda Lynette Johnson, age 51, of Fort Towson, Oklahoma was found guilty by a federal jury of Voluntary Manslaughter.

The jury trial began with testimony on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 and concluded on Thursday, September 29, 2022 with the guilty verdict.

During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on November 17, 2019, Shonda Johnson stabbed the victim Jamie Williams with a filet knife causing him to die. When questioned by law enforcement, the Defendant lied on numerous occasions claiming she was not involved in the death of Mr. Williams.

The guilty verdict was the result of an investigation by the Choctaw County Sheriff's Office, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the defendant in this case is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crime occurred in Choctaw County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Johnson was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Howanitz and Kevin Cheung represented the United States.