A Loudon County jury has convicted the third of three people charged in a 2017 murder.
Clarence Porter, 36, of Chattanooga killed James E. Johnson on May 10, 2017, in Johnson's Loudon home, according to District Attorney General Russell Johnson.
Porter and Christopher Orr beat and robbed him as well, according to Johnson. LaQueena Brown had been in a dispute with Johnson and asked Porter and Orr to confront Johnson.
"The murder weapon was never found as it appeared that Porter had disposed of it in a lake near Chattanooga," the DA wrote in a Facebook posting.
Brown and Orr previously have been convicted for their roles in Johnson's death, according to the prosecutor.
The jury returned its verdict Friday against Porter, who got an automatic life sentence. He still must be sentenced on Sept. 13 for counts of robbery and theft related to the attack.
The prosecutor noted a devastating fire at the Loudon County Courthouse in 2019 and the onset of the coronavirus pandemic hindered the ability of authorities to conduct Porter's trial more promptly.
The trial ended up being held last week in the Lenoir City City Hall.
Phone data, surveillance video and statements by Brown were among the evidence introduced in the state's effort to convict Porter.
