A 74-year-old Virginia man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after being found guilty of second-degree murder for fatally shooting a disabled man who mistakenly knocked on his door. The incident occurred on June 20, 2023, in Norfolk, Virginia, when Albert Patrick Johnson, 38, inadvertently confused Leroy King’s apartment for that of a friend.
According to the prosecution, Johnson had initially mistaken King’s door for his friend’s home earlier that day and returned later, still confused about where he needed to go. When Johnson knocked again, King armed himself and confronted the disabled man outside his apartment.
Without warning, King shot Johnson in both the neck and torso, causing his death at the scene. This shooting was not King’s first violent encounter; records revealed he had previously been convicted of a nonfatal shooting in 2003.
Despite King’s claim that he acted out of a supposed legal right, a jury found him guilty of murder as well as of using a firearm in committing the crime. At sentencing, King insisted he had been “legally entitled” to use deadly force, but prosecutors strongly disagreed. “Mr. King had no right to shoot the victim,” stated Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi, adding that King’s age and criminal history should have made him acutely aware of the gravity of his actions.
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Fatehi added, “He absolutely should have known better,” Fatehi said. Addressing Johnson’s family, he continued, “I extend my condolences to Mr. Johnson’s family for losing their loved one in such a senseless way. He did nothing wrong.”
Fatehi further warned, “The fact that Mr. King does not see that he committed a crime means that Mr. King poses a continuing danger to the public and that his sentence fits his crime.” According to Fatehi, Johnson had lived with disabilities since suffering injuries as a teenager, yet he was described as someone who “overcame many adversities in his life” and spread laughter and joy among his loved ones, as per Law & Crime.
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The court ultimately sentenced King to a total of 45 years, suspending 20 years of the sentence, meaning the 74-year-old will serve 25 years behind bars. If ever released from prison, King faces an additional three years of probation.
For Johnson’s family and community, the loss remains profound; his obituary remembered him as a man with a “captivating spirit” who dreamed of becoming a famous rapper and brought a “larger-than-life personality” to those around him.
