St. Paul man found guilty of murdering man in 2021

A St. Paul man was found guilty of second-degree murder on Tuesday, according to court documents.

A Hennepin County jury found Malik Deshone Williams, 22, guilty of the 2021 murder of 20-year-old Sean Anthony Johnson.

RELATED: Man charged with murder in fatal October Hopkins shooting

On Oct. 17, 2021, officers were called to an apartment at 320 Blake Road North in Hopkins, Minn., where they found Johnson dead from gunshot wounds.

Two witnesses on the scene told law enforcement they were hanging out with Johnson in an apartment unit above his when Johnson went downstairs for something. After ten minutes, witnesses say they heard gunshots.

According to a criminal complaint, Johnson sold marijuana and was planning on selling a gun on the day he was killed.

Phone records showed that the last person Johnson spoke to was Williams and cell phone data placed Williams at the apartment at the time of the shooting, court records show.

The court is seeking an aggravated sentence due to the fact that the crime took place in a location in which the victim had an expectation of privacy.

Williams’ next court appearance is set to take place on July 24, when he will be sentenced for second-degree murder. That conviction carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.