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Left inset: James Johnson (Polk County). Right inset: Nikki Loffredo (Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory). Background: The area near the intersection of East Ovid Avenue and Cambridge Street in Des Moines, Iowa, where James Johnson shot Nikki Loffredo (KCCI/YouTube).
An Iowa man was found guilty of murder for gunning down a random woman on the sidewalk while driving after he asked her if she wanted to “come get high” with him and she refused — telling the now-convicted killer, “Who are you? Never mind, f— off,” according to prosecutors, before shooting her multiple times.
“The defendant took the stand and said he saw Ms. Loffredo walking on Euclid Avenue early on July 27 and planned to approach her,” a press release said Wednesday from the Polk County Attorney’s Office, which announced the conviction of James Johnson, 43, for the shooting death of Nikkie Loffredo, 42, last July in Des Moines.
“He saw her again at the intersection of East Ovid Avenue and Cambridge Street at 3:48 a.m.,” the attorney’s office said. “From his GMC Yukon, he yelled at her to ‘come get high’ with him, and according to him, she responded, “Who are you? Never mind, f— off.”
Johnson, who is from west Des Moines, told cops he was consuming cocaine and marijuana that night and was driving near the intersection of East Ovid Avenue and Cambridge Street when he spotted Loffredo walking. Prosecutors say he told investigators “he felt disrespected” and admitted to firing a handgun four times from his Chevrolet Tahoe at the local woman, who is also from Des Moines. But Johnson, who was a felon already, claimed he was only trying to scare her.
“He denied that he intended to kill her,” the attorney’s office said Wednesday. “There was no previous connection between the victim and defendant.”
A Polk County jury wound up convicting Johnson of first-degree murder and he now faces life in prison for the fatal shooting. Loffredo, who died two days later, was said to have been up buying food when Johnson set upon her.
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Prosecutor Levi Grove said at his trial that it was actually boredom — and a desire to use a handgun that he owned — that ultimately led to Loffredo being killed last summer.
“He was trolling the neighborhood looking for a reason to use that gun,” Grove said in his opening statement, according to The Des Moines Register.
Johnson himself testified that he “didn’t want to go home and argue and fight” with his girlfriend that night over ongoing personal matters, so he drove around the city instead.
Prosecutors say Johnson, who was not allowed to have a gun as a felon, passed Loffredo a number of times in his Tahoe before finally stopping to ask if she wanted to “get high” and she said no.
“It pissed me off,” Johnson testified, per the Register. “I felt disrespected.”
Johnson admitted at his trial to trying to “bulls—” his way through police interviews and the investigation, but said he felt too guilty to keep lying.
“I never wanted to be responsible for something like that,” Johnson reportedly said. “I feel bad, I feel terrible. I didn’t mean to hurt her, I certainly didn’t mean to kill her.”
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20.
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