Man to serve at least 2 decades in prison in bludgeoning death of girlfriend at Warren home

6/4/2014

DETROIT — A man has been sentenced to at least two decades in prison in the bludgeoning death of his 25-year-old girlfriend in her suburban Detroit home.

The Macomb Daily and Detroit Free Press report that 27-year-old Johncarlos Johnson was sentenced Wednesday in Macomb County Circuit Court to 22 ½ years to 40 years. He pleaded no contest in April to second-degree murder in the December death of Shalisa O’Dell in Warren.

The plea isn’t an admission of guilt but is treated that way for sentencing.

Police said O’Dell, who had a 2-year-old son with Johnson, suffered several skull fractures. They recovered a weapon but didn’t identify it.

Johnson asked O’Dell’s family for forgiveness at the hearing. Her father, John O’Dell, says the apology wasn’t sincere and considered it a “merciless killing.”