The killer who gunned down a childhood friend on a crowded Brooklyn street has shown “no remorse” in the years since the shocking slaying, and the motive remains a mystery even after being sentenced on Monday.
Claudia Banton, 46, deserved to rot in prison for the “evil act,” victim Delia Johnson’s grieving relatives said in Brooklyn Supreme Court before the convicted murderer was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison.
“It’s an act of pure evil, and what makes it even more painful is that she showed no remorse for what she did,” Johnson’s brother, Mathis Lemons, 51, told Justice Margaret Martin during the hearing, urging her to throw the book at Banton.
“My sister’s killer should never see the world again,” Lemons told me.
Banton remained emotionless as Johnson’s family expressed shock that the woman they once welcomed into their home had turned out to be their relative’s murderer.
“I saw you as family at one point in my life,” Johnson’s daughter, 21-year-old Ladeya Jenkins, told Banton.
“I can’t even say how much this hurts. “That’s putting it mildly.”
Johnson’s sister, Khadijah Berry, 31, shared the heartbreaking sentiment.
“You and she were friends…” But what broke my heart was knowing you did it and how you treated my sister,” she said.
On April 3, Banton was found guilty of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon for the heinous execution-style killing on August 4, 2021, outside a friend’s funeral on Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights.
Banton and Johnson were former friends, but no information about the killer’s motive emerged during her trial, which lasted less than a month.
Authorities said Banton shot the 42-year-old mother at least five times in front of stunned mourners, forcing them to flee.
“The first shot wasn’t enough for this defendant,” Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Michael Diamond said during the sentencing hearing.
“She stepped over and pulled the trigger again and again as people ran for their lives.”
During the trial, police bodycam footage showed Johnson bleeding from her eyes and gasping for air while lying face up.
Her murder was also captured on surveillance footage.
Police stopped Banton in her white Mercedes moments after the shooting, but she was let go after witnesses identified the shooter as a man.
According to the prosecutor, Banton spoke to police as if “nothing happened” when she was pulled over.
Three months later, US Marshals tracked Banton down in Jacksonville, Fla., after she changed her appearance, including wearing a blonde wig, and deleted her social media accounts.
It’s unclear why Banton killed her former friend, whose family had let her live with them several times.
Johnson’s mother, Delia Berry, broke down in court while holding photos of her smiling daughter, recalling the first time she saw her wearing chains.
“It broke my heart,” she admitted.
“I took care of you.”
