Family Mourns Man Killed on Rural Trail

Friends, Family Unsure of a Motive in Fatal Shooting

By Meghan Louttit (Contact)

Thursday, May 1, 2008

RELATED STORY: Man Arrested in Southern Loudoun Death

Just past the Mt. Zion Baptist Church of St. Louis on Snake Hill Road sits the home of Jajuan D. Johnson. It’s only feet away from the muddy trail where he was killed, and on Thursday morning, it played host to investigators working to recover evidence.

By noon, more than 20 family members and close friends were gathered outside the Johnson family’s white, two-story home.

The family -- which includes Jajuan Johnson, called "Murphy" by those close to him, his mother, older sister, twin brother, and a younger brother -- live in the rural western Loudoun village of St. Louis.

“My mom moved out here so she could get away from Leesburg,” said Jataia Johnson, who is Jajuan Johnson’s older sister. “My brothers were constantly in trouble. She thought if she moved to the country things would settle down.”

But Thursday, on the porch of Jajuan Johnson's family’s home, family members and friends huddled in mourning, sheltered from the day’s smattering of rain. Others gathered in small groups along the street, discussing the fatal shooting. Several family members said Jajuan Johnson had known the gunman, 23-year-old Terence E. Dade, only a few months.

Dade was charged Thursday with first-degree murder and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Family members said Dade had been at a cookout at the Johnsons' home the night before. They had been celebrating Jajuan Johnson’s mother’s birthday.

“He was over at the cookout, so why he would do something like that after that, who knows?” said his aunt, Ramona Johnson, of Leesburg.

Family members said Dade called Johnson at about 9 p.m. Wednesday, asking him to meet him on the trail.

“He came back when [Dade] wasn’t there,” Ramona Johnson said. “Came back and called him twice, then went back out to meet him.”

Dade lived on the other side of the trail, which was a regular meeting place for Dade and Johnson, Jataia Johnson said. Her brother thought nothing of the meeting, she said.

“He thought he was just gonna come right back home," she said.

Just as more mourners arrived Thursday, a television broadcast showed images of the scene taken from a helicopter, bringing many back to tears.

“You know it's real when you see that,” said another of Johnson’s aunts, Ann Johnson. She shook her head slightly and sniffled.

Hand-rolled cigarettes began lighting up as Johnson’s aunts and his cousin, Tasha Johnson, 28, discussed what could have possibly motivated Dade.

“I don’t get it. I’m totally lost,” Tasha Johnson said. “I mean, they were friends.”

Jataia Johnson expressed similar thoughts: “I have no idea why. That’s the main question going through my mind.”

While the family debated motives and discussed the crime, Johnson’s friends from Leesburg gathered in the street.

“He was like a brother to me,” said 18-year-old DJ Lane. “I grew up with him. He was part of my family.”

Johnson’s friends, temporarily exchanging their grief for humor, described Johnson as a Redskins fan who was funny, outgoing and genuine in his words.

“Murphy was the man,” Lane said. “…He’ll talk to anybody. But if he doesn’t like you, he’ll let you know. He ain’t gonna bite his tongue for nothing.”

Many of Johnson’s friends had driven to the home from Leesburg after hearing the news at about 7 a.m. Thursday. They said Johnson had recently talked about wanting to move back to Leesburg.

“We just talked to him and he said he missed everybody and wanted to come back home,” Lane said. “Then someone tell me my brother’s gone? What you mean my brother’s gone?”

He leaned back against the black SUV behind him, shaking his head. “Damn, Murph.”

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