BREAKING – A Lewis County Circuit Court Jury has found Preston Neill Walters guilty in the death of Justin Johnson on March 23, 2017.
The jury returned verdicts of guilty on second-degree manslaughter, seven counts of tampering with physical evidence, abuse of a corpse, and marijuana cultivation.
The jury recommended the maximum sentence for each verdict to run consecutively for a total of 50 years plus 12 months.
Under state law, C and D felonies can only be stacked for a maximum sentence of 20 consecutive years.
Walters had been charged with murder, se counts of tampering with physical evidence, one count of abusing a corpse, and one count of cultivating marijuana, more than five plants. He was arrested on March 31, 2017.
