Tyren Jawan Johnson Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joseph A. Cervantez, Jackson County State’s Attorney
Date: October 23, 2023

Tyren Jawan Johnson Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder

Jackson County State’s Attorney, Joseph A. Cervantez, announced today that Tyren Jawan Johnson, age 25, of Sikeston, Missouri, was found guilty of first-degree murder on Monday, October 23, 2023, following a jury trial in Jackson County, Illinois.

In a jury trial lasting more than a week, Cervantez presented evidence to a crowded courtroom that on November 3, 2019, Carbondale police were dispatched to the 500 block of South Illinois Avenue for a complaint
of shots fired. Keon Cooper was transported by ambulance to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale where he was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds. In just hours, investigators with the Carbondale Police Department identified the shooters as 21-year-old Tyren Johnson and 24-year-old Olando Sheron, both of Sikeston, Missouri.

The Carbondale Police Department obtained arrest warrants for both Johnson and Sheron. On November 7, 2019, Johnson was arrested on an Illinois warrant by the Sikeston Department of Public Safety. Olando Sheron evaded law enforcement for nearly 2-years, until he was arrested after a dangerous car chase in Gardena,
California, charged, and found guilty of first-degree murder on Friday, December 9, 2022, by a Jackson County, Illinois jury.

Cervantez led the prosecution of Johnson and after securing a guilty verdict on October 23, 2023, Cervantez explained that Johnson faces a sentence between 45-years and natural life in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the murder of Keon Cooper. Cervantez emphasized that the presence of local law enforcement
during this trial shows the dedication that they have in keeping our community safe.

The investigation was led by the Carbondale Police Department and assisted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Southern Illinois University Department of Public Safety, Sikeston Department of Public Safety,
and the US Marshal’s Service among others.

Cervantez explained that a case of this magnitude can only be accomplished by an “all hands-on deck” approach. “The dedicated staff of the Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Office all played an important role in seeking justice.”

A prosecutor has the responsibility of a minister of justice and not simply that of an advocate. This responsibility carries with it specific obligations to see that the defendant is accorded procedural justice and that guilt is decided upon
the basis of sufficient evidence. Except for statements that are necessary to inform the public of the nature and extent of the prosecutor’s action and that serve a legitimate law enforcement purpose, by Supreme Court Rule, the State’s Attorney is not allowed to make statements about pending cases or investigations which would pose a serious and imminent threat to the fairness of the proceeding. Rule 3.8 Special Responsibilities of a Prosecutor. For a list of certain subjects which
have been determined to pose such a threat to the fairness of the proceedings and for a list of subjects which do not, please see Rule 3.6 Trial Publicity. For any press release involving a case which has not yet been tried, please note
that: a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of the jury.