A Gary man got 70 years Friday for killing a marijuana dealer.
Tyrone Reno, 34, was convicted last month of murder in the Nov. 15, 2021, death of Quintez Johnson, 31, plus a gun enhancement. He faced up to 85 years.
Johnson’s two kids, aged 8 and 6, were in the apartment when he was shot.
At trial, jurors viewed footage of an unmasked man running down a stairwell just after Johnson’s death. They returned a guilty verdict after 15 minutes.
Reno has said he is innocent and plans to appeal, his lawyer Natalie Williams said in court Friday, asking for a 45-year sentence.
During lengthy remarks, Deputy Prosecutor Milana Petersen said Reno killed Johnson over cash and a “little bit of weed.” She ultimately asked for 75 years.
Johnson’s mother, emotional on the stand, said her grandson still wouldn’t eat spaghetti because it was the last dinner he ate with his dad.
She expressed empathy for Reno’s family. My son would have helped you, she told Reno.
“I just want to know why,” she said. “He would have done anything you asked.”
Earlier in the hearing, Petersen questioned Detective James Nielsen on videos from Reno’s Facebook account. They showed him holding guns, money with rap music playing, or smoking.
Williams objected throughout – saying they were posted in 2022 or later. His Facebook account was deactivated around the time of Johnson’s death, she said. The lawyer argued there was no proof he was in a gang, a point Judge Salvador Vasquez agreed.
Posting videos on Facebook with guns, money or rap music was not proof he lived a violent life. It was a false conjecture, she argued.
Gary Police responded that day to an apartment building on the 1300 block of W. 5th Avenue for a homicide.
Detectives found a trail of marijuana up the stairs to an open Pringles inside a third-floor apartment. Johnson was lying on the sofa. He had been shot twice in the head.
There were no signs of struggle.
Security cameras showed a Black man — later identified as Reno — arriving at Johnson’s apartment, then fleeing about three minutes later. He had a handgun and a backpack with marijuana. Police believe Johnson was shot around 2 p.m.
While a patrolman was writing a report at the Gary Police Station, 555 Polk St., a man who matched the one seen on the video walked by him and a colleague. He was wearing the same clothes, including a Black hoodie with white lining and brown tag.
The other officer approached him. Reno gave his name, but he wasn’t arrested, since the man in the video wasn’t identified yet.
Police learned Johnson started selling marijuana a month earlier to help pay his bills.
Reno was arrested two years later.
Investigators used “facial recognition software” to help match security footage outside the Gary Police station to the man seen on camera at Johnson’s apartment, court filings show.
That left some questions on the software’s accuracy.
State lawmakers recently passed legislation to tighten standards for witness identification on photo lineups.
It requires police to tell witnesses a suspect might not be in the lineup, cutting pressure to pick a photo; “filler” photos – the non-suspects — have to look as close to a suspect as possible, and a witness’ “confidence” will have to be recorded.
It also requires police to corroborate an identification by facial recognition software with other evidence. The law goes into effect July 1.
mcolias@post-trib.com
