Man pleads guilty to murdering man in downtown Wilmington alley
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — One of two men charged with the 2021 killing of a local nightclub owner appeared in New Hanover Superior Court on Wednesday.
Quajon Canty, 27, pled guilty to Second-Degree Murder, Attempted Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon, Conspiracy to Commit Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. He will serve between 23 and 28.6 years in prison for his role in the crimes that
took the life of 43-year-old Johnny Johnson in a downtown Wilmington alley.
The case against the second suspect, Naulege Johnson, is set for trial later this spring.
On November 7, 2021, shortly after 1:00 a.m., officers on patrol heard gunshots coming from an area on Chestnut Street near Water Street. They arrived less than one minute later and found Johnny Johnson suffering from multiple gunshot wounds near the entrance of an alleyway. While some officers tried to revive him, others raced into the alley to search for the suspects.
Shortly thereafter, they found Canty and Johnson hiding together underneath a piece of plywood. Two firearms were ultimately located nearby.
Ballistics testing confirmed that the guns found were the guns fired during the incident. Other forensic testing showed that Canty and Johnson had gunshot residue on them. Johnny Johnson died at the scene.
Surveillance videos from downtown cameras and information obtained from cell phones found on the suspects provided valuable evidence linking the two men to the crime. The investigation revealed that they were intending to rob Johnny Johnson of valuable jewelry when he walked to his vehicle after his club closed for the night. While a broken bracelet was found in the alley, the suspects were unsuccessful in stealing the other items.
