A Tennessee 21-year-old Knoxville man was sentenced Monday to life in prison plus 15 years after killing one person and wounding another during a botched Knoxville robbery in 2020.
Johnathan Lee Davis Jr. was convicted of multiple charges in connection with the October 11, 2020, shootings, including first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, attempted especially aggravated robbery, and aggravated burglary in concert.
During Davis’ four-day trial in February, prosecutors explained the sequence of the shootings, which took place at the Red Roof Inn at 5334 Central Avenue Pike.
Officers found one victim, 58-year-old John Townsend, dead in a motel room and another victim, a motel employee, in critical condition in the breezeway of the motel. Security camera footage showed four people exit a truck in the motel parking lot, prosecutors said. Three of them, including Davis, went to a second-floor motel room rented by Townsend in order to rob him, prosecutors said.
Once in the room, the defendants shot Townsend. As they were fleeing, Davis encountered a hotel employee and shot him once in the chest.
Davis had fled the state but was arrested by federal agents in North Carolina in May 2021.
Judge Scott Green previously sentenced Davis to life in prison on the murder count. At Monday’s sentencing, prosecutors successfully sought 15 additional years of confinement.
Life in prison in Tennessee means that Davis must serve 51 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. The additional 15 years must be served after Davis has served the life sentence.
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