Donald White II (Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office).
A jury took only an hour to find a Louisiana man guilty of murder for killing his estranged wife and her mother after hearing a dramatic testimony from the woman’s father, who survived the attack. The father’s account proved pivotal for the quick decision, according to reports.
John Johnson, aged 77, recounted to the jury how Donald White II, 32, shot him during an early morning assault on Johnson’s daughter, Jasmine Johnson. During this incident, both Jasmine Johnson and her mother, Joan Johnson, were killed in January 2024, as reported by The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate.
“Pow,” John Johnson said, while holding his hand up on the stand as if he was holding a gun horizontally. “He shot me.”
Jasmine and Joan, aged 29 and 70 respectively, were at Jasmine’s residence in Shreveport when White, her estranged common-law husband, broke into the house and opened fire. The couple’s three children were present but were unharmed and not targeted during the attack, say prosecutors.
In Caddo District Court, John Johnson testified that he and his wife were staying with their daughter, Jasmine, at the time. He described waking up to find his wife injured near the bathroom door. He then encountered White, who targeted him with gunfire, according to local CBS affiliate KSLA.
“Are you a hundred percent sure it was me?” White, who represented himself during his trial, reportedly asked John Johnson.
“I’m a thousand percent,” John Johnson replied.
Donald White opted to represent himself during the trial, but he struggled with courtroom procedures, requiring the judge to intervene and remind him of how a trial should be conducted, according to The Advocate.
Jasmine Johnson, who sustained fatal injuries, recorded a statement for the police prior to her death. In it, she said White had chased her earlier in the day after seeing her at a grocery store. At the time, she was driving with two of their three children and was 23 weeks pregnant.
According to Jasmine Johnson, White rear-ended her car twice and forced her off the road. He allegedly ran up to her car afterward, grabbed her by the shirt and hair as she was inspecting her vehicle for damage, and then tossed her to the ground repeatedly.
“I drove off quick, because he said he was gonna kill me,” Jasmine Johnson said.
White is due back in court on Sept. 19 for his sentencing. He is reportedly facing up to life in prison without parole.
