Holyoke homicide victim Jefforey Johnson's brother and mother deny charges in ... - MassLive.com

photo1.jpgJohn Suchocki / The Republican11-30-11 - Holyoke - 20-year-old Damion Johnson denied murder and firearm charges in connection with the shooting death of his 19-year-old brother, Jefforey Johnson, during his arraignment Wednesday in Holyoke District Court

HOLYOKE – Damion Johnson denied murder and weapons charges pertaining to the Sunday shooting of his younger brother early Wednesday afternoon in District Court and was ordered held without right to bail.

Joanne Couture, meanwhile, the 45-year-old mother of the suspect and victim, 19-year-old Jefforey Johnson, denied a charge of willfully misleading police during the investigation.

Judge Bethzaida Sanabria-Vega ordered the 20-year-old Johnson to be held without right to bail and Couture to be held in lieu of $ 1,000 cash or $ 10,000 personal surety.

The fatal shooting occurred about 8:30 p.m. inside the apartment at 101 Beech St., where Couture and the late Johnson, 19, lived.

Damion Johnson's address is listed as 68 Essex St.

The younger Johnson was taken to the Baystate Medical Center, but later died of his wounds.

Hampden Assistant District Attorney Joan M. Dietz told Sanabria-Vega that both Couture and Johnson gave investigators several different versions of the events surround the shooting.

photo1.jpgJohn Suchocki / The Republican11-30-11 - Holyoke - Joanne Couture, mother of 19-year-old homicide victim Jefforey Johnson, denied a charge of willfully misleading police Wednesday in District Court.

Johnson initially told police that that he had been inside the house when his brother was fatally shot outside. He told police that he saw the flash of a gun, heard a shout and saw four men in dark clothes running down the street, Dietz said.

Dietz said that Couture told detectives the following day that the victim had been holding a gun inside the home "messing around with it," and that the shooting occurred when her elder son tried to take it away.

Couture also told police that she had not been aware that guns were being kept inside her home.

Dietz said that two handguns, a .22-caliber and a .38-caliber, were recovered from the home.

The elder Johnson was also charged with two counts of possession a firearm without a license and two counts of possession of ammunition without an FID card.

Supporters of Johnson and Couture who attended the arraignment declined afterward to to comment.

Pre-trial hearings for both mother and son were set for Dec. 22. Defense attorney Calvin Carr said after the arraignment that he may make his bail argument at that time.

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