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Detroit man will serve life plus 31 years for Knoxville murder

The District Attorney General's office said Jaleen Allen was convicted of first degree murder in the death of Michael Johnson.
Jaleen Genard Allen

A Detroit man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the 2017 murder and kidnapping of Michael Johnson.

According to Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen, 24-year-old Jaleen Allen, also known as "Jay Skoop," was convicted in August of First Degree Murder, Especially Aggravated Kidnapping and Employing a Firearm During the Commission of a Dangerous Felony.

Judge Scott Green imposed an automatic life sentence following the jury's verdict. Judge Green added another 31 years to his sentence at a hearing on Friday.

The incident happened on Aug. 29, 2017 in the Bearden area.

READ MORE: Suspect in Knoxville homicide arrested in Detroit

According to the the Knoxville Police Department, Allen was at a home off Agnes Road trying to sell heroin when he encountered Johnson. Officers said Allen believe Johnson had stolen a car from one of his friends in Detroit, and proceeded to kidnap him by duct-taping his hands in the basement of the home.

After a few minutes, Johnson was led upstairs to the driveway where officers said Allen executed him by shooting him 13 times with a .40 caliber handgun.

Officers found Johnson's body off an embankment toward Agnes Road after responding to reports of a shooting in the area.

Allen fled Knoxville following the murder, but was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals in Detroit weeks later with a handgun in his possession.

Forensic firearm analysts with KPD were able to determine that the 13 shell casings found in the driveway matched the ballistic fingerprint of Allen's gun. Prosecutors also pointed to evidence of Facebook posts made by Allen containing videos of him flaunting the weapon before the murder.

The DA's office said Allen's conviction is the latest in a long string of cases out of Knox County involving Detroit heroin dealers.

“We will continue to aggressively combat the heroin pipeline from Detroit to Knoxville,” Allen said. “Detroit heroin dealers who come to Knoxville to sell drugs and commit murder can expect to spend the rest of their lives in a Tennessee prison.”

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