A Jefferson Parish jury on Wednesday (Oct. 2) found Kintez “Kutta” Johnson guilty of shooting a man as he sat in a car outside a Marrero convenience store two years ago, killing him.
Johnson, 23, of Harvey, was convicted as charged of the second-degree murder of Reginel Golman, 30.
On the evening of Sept. 23, 2022, Golman and his girlfriend were seated in a vehicle parked outside a business at Fourth Street and Ames Boulevard when Johnson, wearing a mask, approached. He and Golman spoke for a moment. Johnson then brandished a semiautomatic pistol and shot Golman as he sat in the front passenger’s seat.
Johnson’s girlfriend tried to drive away but then sought refuge inside the store – its owners rushed to lock the doors after hearing gunfire. She returned to the car. Golman was still alive.
“Take me home by my momma,” Golman told her. She sped to his mother’s home on nearby Silver Lilly Lane, where 911 was called. Golman died there, slumped over in the front passenger’s seat.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives quickly identified Johnson as the suspect, through witnesses and through the convenience store’s video security system. Johnson was arrested days later at a motel in New Orleans East.
About an hour before the homicide, Golman and his girlfriend were at a home in Marrero when Johnson appeared at the home. It was during that time that Golman’s brother happened to call their niece from the north Louisiana prison where he is incarcerated. Golman then got on the phone with his brother.
Prison phone calls are recorded, so jurors were able to hear Golman tell his brother that Johnson told him that there was “a bag on my head,” meaning someone wanted him dead. Golman’s family urged him to not leave with Johnson, whose identity was acknowledged during the recorded phone call.
Nonetheless, Golman and his girlfriend drove to the convenience store, with Johnson in the back seat. Golman got out of the car and went inside. He asked his girlfriend to drive Johnson to a nearby apartment complex. She did so and returned to the store, where Golman got into the front passenger’s seat.
That’s when Johnson walked up, spoke with Golman and began shooting. Johnson then fled on foot. In total, 10 spent bullet casings were recovered that were tied to Johnson’s pistol. Golman suffered from 15 bullet wounds, some caused by the same bullets that entered his body, exited and entered other body parts.
In addition to second-degree murder, jurors found Johnson guilty of three other charges:
- Aggravated assault with a firearm. The victim was Golman’s girlfriend, who was seated in the driver’s seat when Johnson opened fire but was not physically injured.
- Convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Johnson was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a prior felony conviction. In 2020, he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm while possessing heroin and to six counts of illegal discharge of a firearm.
- Obstruction of justice. Johnson hindered the investigation into Golman’s death by tampering with evidence — getting rid of the firearm. The firearm turned up in a bar in Kenner on Oct. 7, 2022. Police were summoned to the bar because an intoxicated customer passed out. That customer had a duffle bag that contained a firearm. Ballistics experts determined that the firearm was used in Golman’s killing. The intoxicated man had no connection to Golman’s homicide and no known connection to Johnson.
Suggesting self-defense, Johnson’s attorney told jurors that Golman had a gun in the vehicle with him when he was shot; a gun was never found. The attorney said witnesses lied, and there was no forensic evidence tying Johnson to Golman’s death. He urged jurors to acquit Johnson.
The jury, which was seated on Monday, deliberated about 2 1/2 hours before returning with its unanimous verdicts.
Judge Shayna Beevers Morvant of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Johnson on Oct. 29.
Assistant District Attorneys Matt Whitworth and LaShanda Webb prosecuted the case.