After hearing testimony and arguments for seven days, it took an Horry County jury less than an hour to convict a Tabor City, North Carolina, woman of murder on Friday, Jan. 17.
The seven-woman, five-man panel determined that LaFredia C. Todd, 37, shot and killed co-worker Quentin Johnson, 26, in the kitchen of the Nacho Hippo restaurant in North Myrtle Beach on July 28, 2022.
Todd was sentenced to 36 years in prison by South Carolina 15th Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Culbertson for murder, as well as five years for possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
The sentences will be served concurrently, but murder is a crime ineligible for parole, meaning Todd will be in prison until age 73.
Defense attorney Stuart Axelrod told the jury that Todd acted in self defense, portraying Johnson as a bully who had threatened Todd and others. He said that during the 12 days the two had worked together, Johnson had threatened to pistol whip Todd, shoot her in the face, kill her children, and shoot up the restaurant.
Todd had testified that Johnson had said on the day of the shooting that he was going to call his friends to shoot up the restaurant.
Defense attorney Stuart Axelrod listens as defendant Lafredia Todd testifies Thursday, Jan. 16 in the murder trial for the death of Quentin Johnson in North Myrtle Beach in 2022. Todd has been charged with murder and claims she shot Johnson in self defense after she said she was threatened by Johnson repeatedly.
Johnson had two empty handguns in his pockets when he was shot, and died three days later in the hospital from his wounds.
But prosecuting attorney Nancy Livesay, the violent crimes assistant solicitor for the 15th Circuit, said it was Todd who exhibited predatory behavior the night of the shooting.
Todd had texted a family member to acquire a gun before going to work, and fired a "practice shot" outside the restaurant prior to the shooting. Then, after clocking out for the night, she sat in the manager鈥檚 office tracking Johnson on the video surveillance system, before stepping outside when he walked past the door, shooting him once in the back of the head with a .38 caliber revolver.
She then fled to the Cracker Barrel restaurant next door, hiding the gun and calling 911, saying she was afraid.
The speedy verdict came as no surprise to Senior Assistant Solicitor Seth Oskin, who helped Livesay try the case.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 [surprised] because of the video evidence,鈥 Oskin said, saying it came down to 鈥渨ould the jury believe their eyes?"
He praised the panel for 鈥渦pholding the rule of law鈥 with the verdict.
Five members of Johnson鈥檚 family gave tearful impact statements prior to sentencing.
"My brother鈥檚 life was cut short. It was not by the will of God. It was by the will of a monster,鈥 said Johnson鈥檚 brother, Joshua Jones.
Johnson鈥檚 sister Tanitha Sterling described her brother unresponsive in his hospital bed, and said Todd forced her mother "to make the very difficult decision to pull the plug."
Axelrod said Todd will be filing an appeal in an attempt to overturn the conviction.
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