Shawn Johnson indicted on Warren aggravated murder, kidnapping, theft and other charges

Staff report

WARREN

A Trumbull County grand jury has indicted Shawn L. Johnson, 49, also known as Shawn Hope, on several charges, including aggravated murder, in the Dec. 2 death of John P. Kellar, 41, of Niles.

The U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitives Task Force arrested Johnson in Detroit on March 30 in the Warren case, and he has been detained in the Wayne County jail in Michigan since then.

In addition to aggravated murder, Johnson was indicted on two counts of kidnapping, and single counts of aggravated robbery, being a felon in possession of a firearm and tampering with evidence.

The victims of the kidnapping are two women who were with Johnson at a home on Stephens Avenue Northwest on Dec. 2 – Alicia Binion, 36, who lived at the Stephens address, and a 22-year-old woman who was Keller’s fiancee.

Police first learned something had happened when Keller’s fiancee had a woman call 911 from a home on West Market Street about 7 p.m. Dec. 2 saying she had been abducted from the Stephens address by a man named Shawn who had shot someone at the house.

The fiancee said she got away while the shooter was at Rocky’s AM PM Food Mart on West Market Street.

Binion was seen later on the food mart’s surveillance video inside the store with Johnson that evening.

Binion returned to Warren without Johnson about three weeks later and went to talk to police.

Detroit court records say Johnson waived extradition back to Ohio on April 11 in the Third Judicial Circuit Court in Detroit.

But Chris Becker, assistant Trumbull County prosecutor, said it’s unclear when Johnson will return to Trumbull County because he is being held in Michigan on a parole violation.

Johnson has earlier felony criminal cases in Detroit from 1994, 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2012, according to the Michigan court’s website.