Johnson found guilty of murder

By Natalie GaitherJournal Staff WriterJay Conrad Johnson, 45, was convicted of first-degree murder on Thursday in Placer County Superior Court.Johnson sat emotionless as the jury of five men and seven women brought back the guilty verdict after eight hours of deliberation.?Thank God,? said daughter Delicia Niami outside of the courtroom. ?A year and half later I am still in shock. It wasn?t until after I saw the pictures of my mother?s dead body (during the trial). When I saw those pictures I could still see her beauty; he couldn?t take away her beauty.?Johnson beat to death Laurie Niami inside her Colfax home April 16, 2001, and attempted to kill her husband, 59-year-old Ronald Booker, with a wooden tray and stick.Booker, who was in the hospital with an infection in his hip, was not in court Thursday for the verdict.Johnson was also convicted of attempted murder, with a special allegation for the use of a deadly weapon. He was found not guilty of attempted burglary and robbery. According to a juror who spoke with the Journal after the verdict, the jury unanimously agreed Johnson belonged in jail rather than on the streets. ?I knew he was guilty of murder from his statement to Booker ?God sent me here to kill you,? and his actions of picking up the wooden tray table and using it to kill Niami,? said the juror, who referred to himself only as ?David.? Booker testified at the trial that Johnson made the statement during a struggle inside the home. ?There was reasonable doubt whether he brought in the black plastic bag and his intent to rob the residence,? the juror added, referring to the not guilty verdicts. Reactions to the verdict by Deputy District Attorney Bill Marchi and Assistant Public Defender Patrick Benca were unavailable Thursday due to the continuing gag order issued by Judge Richard Couzens.Sentencing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Dec. 19 in Placer County Superior Court Dept.1. The Journal?s Natalie Gaither can be reached at natalieg@goldcountrymedia.com