Katherine Noel Johnson was 21 when she was murdered on July 15, 1990, in High Point, North Carolina. Born June 1, 1969, in Guilford County, she was the daughter of Bobby Lee Johnson and Ann Carol Hughes. Authorities say she met Lesley Eugene Warren at a company picnic where he had been invited; after gaining her trust, he lured her away, strangled her and concealed her body in the trunk of a car. Her remains were later discovered, triggering a homicide investigation that linked Warren to multiple killings across High Point and Asheville.

Warren later confessed to killing Katherine Johnson and three other women and was convicted and sentenced to death. Katherine’s death is recorded as one of several in a pattern of attacks that deeply affected the victims’ families and the communities involved.