Hearings set for upcoming murder trials
 

Jeremy Nash news-herald.net

Three individuals connected to the May 2017 slaying of James Johnson in Loudon will stand trial separately.

Christopher Blake Orr of Ooltewah, Clarence Montrell Porter of Chattanooga and Laqueena D’lisa Brown of Dayton will each have their own trials, Steve Harrelson, Loudon County circuit court clerk, said.

Brown will have a pre-trial motion hearing April 13 and trial date May 12. Orr will have a trial date Sept. 8. Porter will have a pre-trial motion hearing Aug. 17 and trial date Sept. 22.

The three cases, along with other trials, have been impacted by a need for more secure courtroom space, Russell Johnson, 9th Judicial District attorney general, said.

“This was pushed back, in part, because of the courtroom situation, just like every other pending murder trial,” Johnson said in an email correspondence. “Also, the defense attorneys finally decided that they wanted to sever the trial so that each has their own trial.”

A memorandum of understanding between Lenoir City and Loudon County has since been approved to allow criminal court hearings to be held at the Lenoir City Municipal Building.

Johnson declined comment further on the three pending cases.

Charges filed against the three are two counts of first-degree murder, especially aggravated robbery, theft and possession of a firearm by a felon.

A motion for continuance filed Dec. 12 by Porter’s attorney, Josh Headrick, said the state is trying to seek a sentence with life without parole if convicted of murder. Brown’s attorney, Stephen McGrath, also filed a motion Jan. 2 stating the same. A motion for Orr could not be obtained by News-Herald presstime.

Brown, Orr and Porter are accused of killing Johnson at his resident on 201 Hill St., Loudon.

Loudon Police Officer Marty Ward arrived at the scene at 3:24 p.m. May 10, 2017, for what was initially believed to be a possible heart attack and later thought a possible suicide.

“There was some squabble over some money that the victim supposedly owed the female,” Brian Jenkins, Loudon Police Department investigator, said in a previous interview. “She went and recruited these other two guys to help her get the money back that this man supposedly owed her.”

LPD worked in conjunction with Loudon County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Rhea County Sheriff’s Department to “develop evidence to support the indictment of three individuals,” according to a release from LPD in September 2017.