Columbus County man pleads guilty to 2014 murder

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A Lake Waccamaw man will spend the next three decades in state prison after pleading guilty to a 2014 murder in Columbus County Superior Court.

Antwan Johnson, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder Tuesday.

Judge Douglas Sasser sentenced Johnson to between 30 and 37 years in the North Carolina Department of Corrections on the second-degree murder charge. Sasser sentenced Johnson to between 16 and 20 years on the attempted murder charge. His sentences will run concurrently.

Johnson and two co-defendants, Derrick Pierce and Amanda Canady, were charged in the murder of Keisha Ward and the attempted murder of Johnny Tyler in Hallsboro on New Year’s Day in 2014.

As part of Johnson’s plea, he agreed to testify in the cases against Pierce and Canady, who are set for trial this year.