BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The man charged with killing Kimberly Police Ofc. Nick O’Rear in a shooting back in 2020 has pleaded guilty to killing the officer, agreeing to a 25-year prison sentence for the crime.
Preston Cheyenne Johnson, 39, pleaded guilty to intentional murder on Monday, a lesser charge than the original capital murder offense he had originally faced. As part of his plea, Johnson’s prison sentence will begin after he completes his 16-year sentence in a different federal case.
On February 4, 2020, O’Rear was shot during a police pursuit along I-65. He was later taken to UAB Hospital, where he died. Johnson, who was out on bond in an unrelated theft case at the time, was arrested the following day.
O’Rear had been on the police force for just one year when he died.
Johnson also pleaded guilty to attempted murder for shooting Warrior PD Ofc. Lee Glenn.
