SMITHFIELD – A Johnston County man has been sentenced to prison for killing his girlfriend during a domestic violence incident. A jury found James Lewis Christa Johnson of Clayton guilty of voluntary manslaughter and felony hit and run after a nine-day trial in Smithfield.
On June 28, 2021, Johnson and his girlfriend were at her family’s home on Nevada Court near Clayton when a verbal argument started. Johnson got into a Chevy SUV to leave. Eighteen year-old Tebria Janee Frazier got onto the hood and windshield of the SUV. Johnson drove away at a high rate of speed with Frazier clinging to the vehicle. A short distance away, in the 300 block of Vinson Road, Frazier was flung from the hood and died. Johnson and Frazier were the parents of an 8 month-old child at the time of the tragic incident.
Johnson did not remain at the scene, leaving Frazier deceased in the roadway. The SUV he was operating was seized the following day in Greensboro. Johnson surrendered two days later, June 30, 2021, at the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office.
On April 18, 2024, a Johnston County Jury found James Johnson guilty of voluntary manslaughter and felony hit and run. Superior Court Judge Keith Gregory sentenced Johnson to a minimum of 105 months to a maximum of 148 months in state prison, which was the maximum sentence allowed under the law.
“The Johnston County District Attorney’s Office is pleased with the verdicts and the sentence imposed. They send the right message that domestic violence must be taken seriously and must not be tolerated by anyone in our community. The State wants to thank Detective Meredith Langston and the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office for the excellent investigation. Our hearts go out to the victim’s family, and we hope the verdicts and sentence gives them some measure of justice, peace, and closure,” said Paul Jackson, Assistant District Attorney.
