70-year sentence issued in Knoxville double homicide

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — An Oak Ridge man was sentenced to 70 years behind bars for his role in a June 2017 drug robbery in South Knoxville that ended with two people dead.

Kristopher Johnson, 25, along with Rico Dion Cook, 19, and Deon Na’Quan Nolbert, 21, met up with Sergio Rivera, Jaloen Morris and Damien Lee to buy some marijuana. Nolbert set up the deal. Cook, 15 at the time of the robbery, told Nolbert and Johnson planned on robbing the men.

Johnson provided Cook with a Glock handgun and when the victims showed up for the deal, Cook entered the vehicle and began shooting. Rivera and Morris were killed. Lee survived despite being shot twice in the head.

Johnson then hid the drugs and gun before being taken into custody.

Johnson was found guilty of two counts of facilitation of felony murder, two counts of aggravated robbery, tampering with evidence, aggravated burglary, and aggravated assault.

In a separate trial Cook was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 17 years. Nolbert pled guilty to facilitation of first-degree murder and received a 20-year prison sentence.