KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The third suspect in the 2017 murder of a Loudon County man has been convicted.

On Friday, a Loudon County jury found Clarence Porter of Chattanooga guilty of the murder of James E. Johnson at Johnson’s home on May 10, 2017. According to testimony at the trial, Johnson was shot and killed inside his home after being beaten and robbed by Porter and Christopher Orr. The two men reportedly came to Loudon for LaQueena Brown who had been in a dispute with Johnson.

In 2021, Orr plead guilty to the murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. In 2020, Brown admitted her responsibility in facilitating the murder and she was sentenced to serve 22 years.

“It has taken right at five years to get to this point with the last co-defendant. The unforeseeable fire at the Loudon County Courthouse in April of 2019 set us back tremendously on this case and all other cases like it in the pipeline scheduled for jury trials,” said District Attorney General Russell Johnson.

“Eventually, we got Brown convicted, then Orr and now Porter. We appreciate Janie [James Johnson’s sister] and her husband and Mr. Johnson’s daughter hanging in there with us to see justice finally served in spite of the roadblocks presented us.”

Porter is facing at least a life sentence according to the DA. He also faces sentencing by Loudon County Criminal Court Judge Jeff Wicks on two other felony charges related to robbery and theft of the victim. He will be sentenced on September 13.