DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The trial of a 28-year-old accused of shooting a man to death and then trying to burn the evidence wrapped up on Friday.
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In March 2021, Earnest Lee Johnson, 28, was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, arson in the second degree and concealing the death of another in connection with the death of Chanceler McCall, 23.
On Dec. 28, 2020, just after 6 p.m., DeKalb County police said officers were called to a person shot on Donnell Way in unincorporated Decatur.
When officers arrived, they found multiple shell casings and a pool of blood in the road but did not find a victim. Investigators say the blood appeared someone had tried to wash it away. Officers said they found a dripping hose lying in the front yard of a nearby home.
DKPD said they noticed two cars, a Kia Soul with several bullet holes and a Chrysler car. Investigators learned that a Pontiac G6 belonged to Johnson and was parked on the street in front of the house.
Investigators collected the shell casing and blood samples from the scene. Witnesses told detectives they heard the shooting and then saw two men put a body into the back of a dark-colored vehicle and drive away.
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Two days later, McCall’s mother contacted the DKPD to report him missing, and Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta shared photos of him.
She told investigators that she last saw McCall on Dec. 28, 2020, driving a maroon Dodge Challenger. She also explained that her son had an ongoing quarrel with Johnson.
Investigators used a DNA sample from McCall’s mother, which was a match for her child from the blood at the crime scene.
On Dec. 29, 2020, detectives found the victim’s car abandoned and burned about a mile and a half away from where the shooting occurred, officials said.
Authorities said Johnson’s car was also found on fire that day behind a shopping center in Conyers, with an accelerant in the front seat.
In December 2021, McCall’s skeletal remains were discovered near I-20 in Morgan County.
Johnson was arrested on March 10, 2021.
The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office said Johnson’s internet history revealed he had searched “self-defense definition,” “malice aforethought,” “manslaughter,” “homicide” and other similar phrases in the days leading up to the crime.
A DeKalb County judge will sentence Johnson in the coming weeks.
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