Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Guilty Verdict for Hopkins Fire Arsonist

Categories:

The following is a press release issued by the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office:


Devin Johnson, on the left, gazing back over the fire he was convicted of setting. [Photo by Peter Armstrong]

A Marin County Superior Court jury returned from its deliberations midmorning Thursday to announce it had found the trial defendant guilty of the Hopkins fire arson that happened during the afternoon of Sunday, September 12, 2021, in the Calpella area of Mendocino County.

Defendant Devin Lamar Johnson, age 23, of Calpella, was convicted of arson of an inhabited dwelling, a felony. The jury also found true a sentencing allegation that alleged the defendant was responsible for the burning of multiple homes.

The defendant was found not guilty of an alternate charge of aggravated arson, which required the difficult proof that the defendant had the intent to specifically burn one or more residences (versus grassland) prior to his lighting two close-in-time fires in dry grass and vegetation behind McFarland Trucking.

After the jury was excused, a separate court trial was conducted regarding a Strike allegation and other sentencing factors.

The prosecutor presented evidence proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant had suffered a Strike conviction — attempted robbery in the second degree — approximately 90 days before he set the Hopkins fire.

- Advertisement -

The prosecutor also presented witness testimony during the court trial that successfully proved beyond a reasonable doubt six separate sentencing circumstances in aggravation.

The sentencing circumstances found true were:

(1) that the crime for which the defendant was convicted involved the threat of great bodily injury or other acts disclosing a high degree of callousness;

(2) that the victims of the Hopkins fire were particularly vulnerable;

(3) that the crime caused damage of great monetary value;

(4) that the defendant has engaged in violent conduct that indicates he is a serious danger to society;

(5) that the defendant’s adult convictions are of increasing seriousness; and

(6) that the defendant was on formal (supervised) probation (for the attempted robbery conviction) when he initiated the Hopkins fire.

The jury’s guilty verdict and true finding, along with the court’s findings, were referred to the Marin County Adult Probation Department for a background study of the defendant and a sentencing recommendation.

- Advertisement -

The defendant and counsel were ordered to return to Department J in the Marin County Courthouse on September 16, 2024 at 9:15 a.m. for pronouncement of sentence.

The defendant remains in custody in the Marin County jail.

When asked about potential punishment, the DA Eyster advised that defendant Johnson is now facing a commitment in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation of up to 21 years.

The law enforcement agencies that were involved in evacuating residents, providing traffic control, and/or the criminal fire/arson investigation included the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, the Ukiah Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, and the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigations.

The fire agencies involved in fire suppression efforts and/or the criminal fire/arson investigation of the cause and origin were the Redwood Valley Volunteer Fire Department, Cal Fire (ground and air), the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority, the Potter Valley Volunteer Fire Department, the Little Lake Fire Department, and the Brooktrails Fire Department.

The prosecutor who led the team effort to tell a cogent story and present the People’s evidence at this retrial was Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster.

Many were harmed; many showed compassion and helped. Some, however, were called on to help more than others. DA Eyster expresses his special thanks to Dennis McFarland, Eric Harmon, and Peter Armstrong, civilians who all appeared willingly last week in San Rafael as witnesses and testified before the jury.

The combined agency professional team that assisted the DA with his trial preparation, evidence and witness management, and provided courtroom testimony were Ukiah Valley Fire Authority Battalion Chief Justin Buckingham, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Craig Dudley, Mendocino County Chief DA Investigator Andrew Alvarado, Assistant Chief DA Investigator Bryan Arrington, and DA Investigator Tom Kiely.

San Bernardino County Deput Sheriff’ Stephanie Garnica, formerly a Mendocino County Sheriff’s Detective, also provided important trial testimony.

Marin County Superior Court Judge Kelly V. Simmons presided over the two-week trial. Judge Simmons will be the sentencing judge when the case is once again called on Monday, September 16th.

- Advertisement -

7 COMMENTS

  1. This turd is going to get off easy. They should at least give him LWOP. I actually think they should sentence the homie to a haircut and lobotomy, and then flush his ass back to Detroit.

    • Detroit? Ohhh, right because he’s black.

      Homie? Ohh right, because, again, he’s black.

      Haircut? Because it’s not coifed into a little dorky combover or something? Probably also because he’s black huh?

      I cannot wait til your generation completely dies off. I hope that before then you exercise your right to free speech out loud (not on the internet) so that someone can overhear your hatred and smack you across your stupid face for it. 🙂

  2. This dumbfuck should have stuck with being a wannabe Jimi Hendrix impersonator.
    Tis a piss poor arsonist that stops on a bridge to view his dirty deeds with firefighting and law enforcement personnel all about.
    I guess that this fucking genius wasn’t aware that we all live in a world where everyone now has a phone with a camera?
    Well at least he wasn’t working his Johnson.
    Life in prison with hard labor breaking big rocks into little rocks that’ll work.

  3. I hope he is found guilty on all counts and is sentenced to an appropriate time in jail. To start a fire deliberately and then Stan on the bridge and watch as so many people lost their homes and everything that meant so much to them is unconscionable??Thank you to all the firefighters and first responders that helped put out the fires he started.

  4. I’m thankful that he was found guilty of this terrible crime. I feel he should have a harsh sentence, more than what he may serve. These arsonists should face severe consequences for their actions. The people’s lives he destroyed, and could have killed, warrants a stiff penalty. Some of the people are still not living in a home. They are still affected by his actions.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

MendoFever Staff
MendoFever Staff
Editor's Note: Whenever an article's byline reads "MendoFever Staff", the contents of that article were not composed by any of our reporters. Types of writing that will be attributed to "MendoFever Staff" include press releases, letters to the editor, op-eds, obituaries— essentially writing that is not produced by a reporter.

Today's News

-Advertisement-

News from the Week

Discover more from MendoFever – Mendocino County News

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading