Missouri man sentenced to 20 years in prison for fatal heroin-related shooting

U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced James Odell Johnson to 20 years in a federal prison for his involvement in a heroin trafficking conspiracy that resulted in a fatal shooting in Butler County, Missouri. Johnson pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of conspiracy to traffic heroin and one count of conspiracy to possess and discharge a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Johnson admitted to shooting a man in Poplar Bluff in 2018 at the direction of Shanesha “Nikki” Burns, who was also involved in the heroin distribution conspiracy. The victim's body was discovered on May 20, 2018.

The conspiracy, which began at least as early as 2018, involved transporting heroin twice a month from St. Louis, Missouri, to Butler County. James Michael Cohen and other members of the conspiracy then distributed the heroin. Burns used her home just outside of Poplar Bluff to store and sell the heroin. Johnson obtained heroin from Cohen in quantities ranging from 1/2 to 3 ounces, both for personal use and for resale. In addition, Cohen supplied Johnson with firearms at various times during the conspiracy.

Two days before the victim's body was found, the Missouri State Highway Patrol received information that heroin was being processed and packaged at Burns' residence. Acting on this tip, the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and Butler County Sheriff's Office searched the property with Burns' consent. During the search, they discovered marijuana, heroin, and cocaine base. Burns believed that someone who had recently left her home had informed police and directed Johnson to kill that person. Johnson lured the victim to a rural area under the pretense of going on a gunfight, and when the victim's gun jammed, Johnson used his own 9mm pistol to shoot the victim. Johnson was later arrested with the murder weapon in his possession.

Cohen, who has been repeatedly found in possession of drugs and firearms, has been arrested multiple times. On January 28, 2019, police stopped him with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, methamphetamine, heroin and $2,494 in cash. In October 2020, Cohen was caught again with another firearm and approximately 444 grams of methamphetamine. His most recent arrest was in February 2021 at a St. Louis hotel, where he was found with approximately 468 grams of fentanyl, 778 grams of methamphetamine and a handgun in his vehicle.

Burns, now 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking operation. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in March. Cohen, also 37, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin and was sentenced to 18 years in prison in February.

Johnson's 20-year sentence will be added to a 10-year sentence he received for a 2018 case in which he shot a Poplar Bluff police detective and a Drug Enforcement Administration task force officer in the arm. Combined with his sentence from the previous case, Johnson will spend a total of 30 years in federal prison.

The investigations leading to these convictions were conducted by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, the Poplar Bluff Police Department, the Butler County Sheriff's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

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