VICKSBURG, Miss. — Perrion Johnson was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the 2023 murder of Preston Wilson Jr. during a hearing on Wednesday in Warren County Circuit Court. Johnson, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on March 10, was represented by attorney Noah Drake, while the state was represented by Assistant District Attorney Michael Warren.
During the sentencing, Johnson’s mother spoke emotionally about the events leading up to the crime, claiming that her son had been coerced into drinking by others and had passed out. She said, “They got him drunk and he passed out. He’s a minor.”
The victim’s grandmother also addressed the court, requesting the maximum sentence for Johnson: “He lost his life walking from the store… He did not deserve what he got.”
Despite Johnson’s defense attorney’s request for some of the sentence to be suspended, claiming uncertainty about who exactly was responsible for Wilson’s death, the state pushed for the maximum sentence. Warren argued that Wilson had been “gunned down” while “just out here living life.”
Judge James Chaney sided with the state, imposing a 40-year sentence for Johnson.
In a related case, John Earl Wallace, a co-defendant in the case, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in February and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Zachary Bryant, another individual involved, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and received a 10-year suspended sentence. A separate murder charge against Bryant was dropped.
The events leading to the murder began on July 18, 2023, when the Vicksburg Police Department responded to a report of shots fired near Cherry and Harris streets. Officers found Preston Wilson Jr. lying in the street and pronounced him dead at the scene.
Investigators later found eight shell casings at the scene. John Earl Wallace admitted during questioning that he had told Wilson to “be careful” before he and Johnson opened fire on him from a vehicle.
After the shooting, Johnson fled to Austin, Texas, where he was arrested in November 2023. Initially charged with murder, drive-by shooting, three counts of aggravated assault, and shooting into an establishment, Johnson’s original bail was set at $4 million by Judge Penny Lawson.
