Cedar Rapids man faces 50 years or more in prison in 2022 for Kavon Johnson's murder

CEDAR RAPIDS – A 22-year-old Cedar Rapids man is facing his second 50-year prison sentence for killing a man he witnessed shooting Cordal Lewis a day earlier in 2022.

Kazius Childress, charged with first-degree murder and intentional use of weapons in the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Kavon I. Johnson on Jan. 28, 2022, pleaded to first-degree murder on Tuesday. Johnson was found dead at 7:25 a.m. in the parking lot of Cedar Valley Park, 2250 Blakely Blvd. SE, according to a criminal complaint.

During the investigation, police found surveillance video that showed Johnson with Childress in a vehicle at Kum & Go at 1420 Mount Vernon Road SE. Just minutes later, another video and audio clip emerged showing a vehicle with the same description entering Cedar Valley Park — and hearing several shots fired.

Childress admitted to being at the scene when Johnson was shot, according to the prosecution, and was also identified by a witness as the person who killed Johnson.

During his plea, Childress admitted to shooting Johnson, acting with premeditation, and intending to kill Johnson that day.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Christopher Bruns accepted his guilty plea and told Childress he must serve 70 percent of his sentence before he can be released on parole.

Bruns pointed out that the sentence count will be open, and the defense and prosecution agreed to that. That means the prosecution will argue that the two sentences of up to 50 years each should be served consecutively for up to 100 years. The defense will likely argue for concurrent sentences – up to 50 years total.

Childress was previously sentenced to up to 50 years in prison for the killing of Cordal Lewis on January 27, 2022.

Johnson's family and friends attended the sentencing hearing on Tuesday and declined to comment to reporters.

During the closing argument in Lewis' murder case, Childress admitted to firing multiple shots as Lewis ran away from him. According to court testimony, Childress fired 11 shots, hitting Lewis multiple times in the back. The bullets struck Lewis' sternum and pierced his heart. Police found nine shell casings at the scene.

Linn County District Attorney Nick Maybanks said after the plea that Johnson was present at Lewis's murder and that “the investigation has revealed that he (Johnson) helped plan and carry out the robbery of Lewis that resulted in his death.”

“By obtaining the guilty plea for the murder of Cordal Lewis, we were able to put the state in a position to argue that he shot Kavon Johnson on January 28, 2022, because he did not want Kavon to turn him over,” Maybanks told The Gazette. “Without that confession, we would have had a hard time uncovering the full story of what led to these back-to-back murders and obtaining a conviction for Kavon's death.”

Maybanks said he would ask the judge to impose consecutive sentences that would put Childress in prison for the rest of his “natural life.”

“If Mr. Childress is convicted for the death of Kavon Johnson, while they will always mourn the loss of Kavon and Cordal, for the families the chapter of the events of those tragic and deadly two days will finally be closed,” Maybanks said.

The verdict will be announced sometime in October, Bruns said.

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