Family Grieves, Prays Over Woman's Slaying

LAKELAND | Jennifer Johnson's family drove the same route from Tampa to Lakeland on Wednesday that turned fatal for the 31-year-old mother of a toddler.

The trip ended at a guarded police line, where a candlelight vigil was held outside the abandoned home where Johnson was found dead Tuesday night.

"Lord lift our hearts now," said Martha Pittman, Johnson's grandmother, in a brief prayer. "She's not suffering anymore.... That's what makes me happy."

Her granddaughter had not been seen since Friday.

About 20 family members gathered to pray outside the police line in front of the house at 1810 Elliott St., off Kathleen Road.

Police classified the Tampa woman's death as a homicide Wednesday morning.

"It is very sad," said Alma Dorsey, Johnson's mother. "She was struggling. She was suffering. I want some justice."

The lead person of interest in the case is Johnson's ex-boyfriend, Vincent Brown, 38, who turned himself in to Tampa police Sunday night on an unrelated charge of violating his probation, according to Lakeland police.

Officials said Brown is not cooperating in the investigation.

Witnesses said they had last seen Johnson arguing with Brown outside a Tampa nightclub. The couple had a history of domestic violence incidents.

Johnson was reported missing Saturday after she did not show up at her daughter's second birthday party, spurring a search by family members.

Over the weekend, police had found Johnson's car and were examining it for clues. Her purse and wallet were inside.

The outcome didn't look good, police said, and her family feared the worst - a fear that proved to be justified.

Police have not released a cause of death, citing an ongoing investigation.

The Tampa and Lakeland Police departments are working together on the case, said Jack Gillen, a Lakeland police spokesman.

Detectives have not determined how Johnson got to Lakeland or if Brown has a Lakeland connection, officials said.

But family members said Brown was a frequent patron of Club Kathleen and knew the area. The club is less than two miles from the house where Johnson's body was found.

Lakeland police were not able to confirm the connection.

"I never expected something like this," Pittman said.

A man who lives down the street from the empty house said he and his girlfriend called police after they discovered the body while walking around the house.

Neighbors said the house is in foreclosure and no one has lived there for months.

The man, who would not give his name for fear of retaliation by the potential suspect, said he and his girlfriend had been on the property Tuesday because they were interested in buying the house.

Most of the house was boarded and locked up, but the couple discovered the back door to the garage ajar.

When they entered, they found the body partially clothed and immediately called police, the man said.

The house's former owner moved to Georgia about six months ago, said neighbor Vicki Thompson, and relatives who still live in the area boarded up the house to prevent vandalism.

Tuesday, even before Johnson's body was found, an assistant state attorney said Brown was a "suspect in a murder case" during his first appearance in court.

A spokeswoman later said the prosecutor misspoke, and Brown was a "suspect in the disappearance of a missing woman."

Police, however, have not publicly upgraded Brown's status to suspect.

If charges are filed in the case, prosecutors from Polk and Hillsborough counties will discuss where the case will be tried, Gillen said.

[ Jeremy Maready can be reached at jeremy.maready@theledger.com or 863-802-7592. Information from the St. Petersburg Times was used in this report. ]