BROOKLYN, N.Y. (TCN) — A 46-year-old Georgia woman will spend decades behind bars for fatally shooting her 42-year-old friend “in the head at point-blank range” at a memorial service in Crown Heights.
The Brooklyn County District Attorney’s Office announced May 19 that a judge sentenced Claudia Banton to 23 years to life in prison in connection with the death of Delia Johnson. A jury previously convicted her in April of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
According to prosecutors, on the evening of Aug. 4, 2021, Banton and Johnson were at a candle-lighting ceremony after a funeral for a mutual friend. Banton reportedly approached Johnson from behind while she was talking to a group of people and fired at least five shots at her. Authorities said the defendant then fled in a vehicle…