Parole denied for Johnny Johnson after victims and prosecutors oppose release

The Committee on Parole denied parole April 8 to Johnny Johnson, who is serving a 40-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction in Caddo Parish.

Chairman Cheryl Renata led the hearing at David Wade Correctional Center where Johnson, classified as a first-felony offender, described participation in multiple rehabilitative programs and expressed remorse. Supporters — including Robin Williams and Melanie Townsend — told the panel Johnson had a job and housing plan and had completed multiple programs, including a 2024 reentry course.

Opposition speakers included Taylor Harrison and Jean Murphy, sons of the victim, who described long-term emotional and familial impacts of the killing and urged denial. Rianne Fitzgerald, representing the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office, told the panel she was “very much opposed” to Johnson’s release, and said the office believed the record supported a more serious charge and a longer sentence than the one Johnson received.

Panelists questioned Johnson about his training as a former deputy, whether he had completed victim-awareness programming, and whether he had taken responsibility for the offense. The chair and at least one colleague said they found his statements insufficiently accountable and cited the breadth of victim and law-enforcement opposition. The panel voted to deny parole, with Renata stating that she did not find Johnson sufficiently accountable and the other members concurring.