Derek Johnson sentenced to life without parole for Truman Parkway homicide

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Derek Johnson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 15 years after a jury found him guilty of murdering Phillip Mock.

A Chatham County jury reached the verdict after two weeks of trial and testimony.

Mock was described as an innocent bystander who stopped to help after seeing Johnson’s car on the side of the road.

Verdict breakdown

The jury found Johnson not guilty in the killing of his son’s girlfriend, 19-year-old Shaliyah Collins. On charges related to Collins’ death, the jury returned not guilty verdicts on malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Verdict split in Truman Parkway double homicide case

In the murder of Phillip Mock, the jury found Johnson guilty on all counts: malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Johnson was found guilty of concealing the death of another. The jury’s verdict indicates it believed Johnson assisted in throwing Collins’ body off the Truman Parkway overpass into the marsh below in 2023.

Sentencing

Johnson cannot be recharged in Collins’ death.

Johnson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 15 years, for the murder of Phillip Mock and for concealing the death of Shaliyah Collins.

Watch an extended discussion about the split verdict from WTOC+ below: