Crete murderer seeks reduced sentence

Fred D. Johnson II

by Dennis Sullivan
editor@ewcnews.com
Jan. 19, 2015

Two months after being sentenced in the brutal beating death of his disabled foster child, a 49-year-old Crete man is asking to serve less time.

An appellate court defender was appointed to represent Fred D. Johnson II Friday after his request was denied in Will County Circuit Court.

Johnson is serving 17 years for slaying 12-year-old Kevin Johnson at their Lincolnshire East Subdivision home in July 2008.

Johnson was sentenced Nov. 13 on the second-degree murder conviction after entering a guilty plea. He additionally was sentenced to serve three years on a criminal abuse/negligence conviction for failing to take one of Kevin’s siblings — a minor who also had a mental disability — to a doctor for medical attention.

The six-foot-one-inch, 250-pound Johnson was 43 in mid July 2008 when he fatally injured the pre-teen at the home on the 3400 block of Beckwith Lane.

At that time, Kevin, his four brothers and four other minors who were members of his blended family lived in Johnson’s home. All of the other minor children were transferred to the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services.

Johnson’s arrest in May 2009 was the culmination of a 10-month investigation by the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, which took charge of the investigation several weeks after Kevin died.

State’s Atty James Glasgow, who termed Kevin’s death “a tragedy” in announcing original charges against Fred D. Johnson, said, “We conducted an extensive and thorough investigation and meticulously reviewed every statement and piece of evidence.”

Court records show Johnson pleaded guilty to the two charges on Oct. 16. Second-degree murder is treated as a Class 1 felony, punishable by 4-15 years in prison.

He currently is at the Menard Correctional Center in southern Illinois. His projected parole date is in early 2019.

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Original material copyright 2015 Eastern Will County News; all rights reserved.

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