Talisha Butler convicted of manslaughter in death of Christopher Johnson

Published 9:38 am Friday, June 24, 2022

A Warren County jury has found a Vicksburg woman guilty of manslaughter in the July 2020 shooting death of a friend after a weeklong trial.

Ninth Circuit District Attorney Ricky Smith said the jury deliberated more than two hours before returning a verdict of guilty of heat-of-passion manslaughter against Talisha Butler, 37, in the July 15, 2020, death of Christopher Johnson, 37.

Smith said Butler’s attorney requested that heat-of-passion manslaughter be included in the judge’s instructions to the jury.

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The shooting occurred in the 2100 block of Clay Street, behind Boston Fish Supreme. Vicksburg police officers responding to a report of a man shot in the chest arrived to find Johnson in the parking lot on the ground next to a vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Then-Vicksburg Police Chief Milton Moore said shortly after the shooting Butler contacted authorities to report she had shot Johnson.

After Butler called 911, Moore was contacted and met Butler, who was a passenger in a car on Washington Street. From there, she was taken to the Vicksburg Police Department, where she was interviewed and later charged with murder.

Thursday, Judge Angela Carpenter set Butler’s bond at $500,000 and bound her case over to the Warren County Grand Jury. The bond was later reduced to $50,000 after a bond reduction hearing.

About John Surratt

John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.

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