On March 10, a Pearl River County resident was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to first degree murder, according to a release from the 15th District Attorney’s office.
Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department deputies were dispatched on October 29, 2016 to a shooting at 35 Davis Dawsey Road, in which the victim, later identified as Mark Johnson, Jr., 39, of Slidell, was shot seven times with a .22 caliber rifle, by 18-year-old Larry Richard Carver, of Pearl River County. Johnson died at the scene.
According to previous coverage, the incident stemmed from an argument between Carver and the victim.
On Oct. 29 at approximately 9 p.m., Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said neighbors reported hearing two people arguing inside the household before moving outside.
Upon further investigation, officers obtained witness statements at the scene that the victim was inside his vehicle when Carver allegedly shot Johnson five times. The victim attempted to crawl away through the passenger side of the vehicle, at which time Carver shot two more rounds into Johnson’s head, the release states.
“In my years of law enforcement, this was the most cold-blooded killing I have ever seen,” Chief Detective Marc Ogden said in the release.
According to previous arrest reports, deputies located Carver on Oct. 30, during a traffic stop on Rock Ranch Road in Picayune, and was subsequently arrested and later charged with felony murder.
Carver later confessed to the crime, before being sentenced to life in prison last week.