Left: Johnnie Alston (Clayton County Jail). Right: Alicia Alston (Facebook).
A Georgia man will spend the rest of his days behind bars for shooting his wife of 10 years dead and allowing two of her children to find her on the ground in the bedroom with "a massive amount of blood coming from her legs."
Johnnie Alston was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony and two counts of child cruelty in the death of Alicia Alston, the Clayton County District Attorney's Office said in a press release. A judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The incident occurred around 10 a.m. Dec. 30, 2022, at the family's home in Ellenwood, which is about 20 miles southeast of Atlanta. Two kids heard gunshots coming from their mother's bedroom and ran toward her cries for help. They found 45-year-old Alicia Alston on the ground with "a massive amount of blood coming from her legs." Johnnie Alston stood over her pointing a gun.
He fled the home, went to a gas station to "think" before checking into a motel. Cops arrested him a few days later, and he wrote an apology letter to the children and his wife's family.
The defendant took the stand at his trial to try to convince jurors to convict him of involuntary manslaughter, but it didn't work. In fact, jurors said the testimony was the "strongest factor" for convicting him of the most serious counts, according to prosecutors.
J'Kayla Smith, then 16, said she was one of the children who found her mother said in an interview with local NBC affiliate WXIA.
"I'm just like, 'what is he doing?' I tell him, 'John, what are you doing?'" she told the outlet.
That's when her mother grabbed her attention.
"She tells me 'call the police,'" J'Kayla said. "She's like 'close the door, call the police.'"
Authorities did not divulge a motive for the shooting, but the victim's oldest daughter Jazmine Pennamon said her mother was considering a divorce.
"She was tired of her marriage and just having to deal with the things that came with him and wanted out of it," Pennamon explained to WXIA. "He honestly didn't even feel like a stepdad to us."
Alicia Alston was a devoted mother of 12 who loved spending time with her kids.
"She was loved by everybody," Pennamon said.
In a statement, District Attorney Tasha M. Mosley said: "I want to commend my team for their tireless dedication and hard work in securing justice on behalf of Mrs. Alston. While this conviction cannot undo the painful events of Dec. 30, 2022, it is our sincere hope that her family has found some sort of peace and closure through this outcome."