A prearranged meeting in Marcellus, Michigan, on November 15, 2018, ended with the death of 42-year-old Kevin Johnson. What began as a purported methamphetamine sale was, according to charges, a planned armed robbery orchestrated by Theron Phone Hunt. Hunt allegedly enlisted Kayla Cheney and Tyler McNeil to carry out the scheme and met Johnson at a residence where the trio bound and maced the homeowner while demanding money.

During the struggle inside the home the shotgun being used was discharged, and an autopsy confirmed Johnson died of a gunshot wound. Stolen items and Johnson’s phone were recovered and linked to Hunt, while Cheney and McNeil cooperated with prosecutors and entered plea deals in exchange for their testimony. Hunt was tried and convicted by a jury of first-degree felony murder for aiding and abetting the killing, along with convictions for two counts of armed robbery, unlawful imprisonment, second-degree criminal sexual conduct, and a felony-firearm count, and received life in prison without parole.