The Story

Tomiekia Johnson a 32-year-old educated African American woman, police officer, home owner, mother, wife and a victim of spousal domestic violence was wrongfully convicted of 1st degree murder January 23, 2012.

As a young girl Tomiekia always knew that she wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. Soon after graduating from a nearby University, she was accepted into the Police Academy for the California Highway Patrol.  Graduating top of her class at #14, Tomiekia then knew her dream of becoming an officer was now a reality.

Over her seven (7) year career as a California Highway Patrol Officer, Tomiekia was highly respected by her peers and received several awards. She served as a spokeswoman for recruitment, often appearing in ads and radio broadcastings promoting a promising career in law enforcement with the California Highway Patrol.

During the course of her employment as an Officer, Tomiekia met a young man by the name of Marcus Lemons.  The two dated for approximately one (1) year before they married in 2006 and shortly followed the birth of a baby girl who is now 5years old.

On February 21, 2009, Tomiekia and Marcus were coming home from dinner when, Marcus physical assaulted her in the car while driving. During the altercation Marcus suffered from a gunshot wound and died as a result of.  Immediately after the incident, Tomiekia cooperated with the police and was asked to explain what happened. In doing so Tomiekia willingly made a statement that night at the local Police station and returned home, never being arrested nor charged with the accidental death of her husband.  Almost two years later in January of 2011, Tomeikia was arrested for the murder of her husband Marcus Lemons. The arrest came as a surprise because it was said that there was no evidence or motive found for her to have killed her husband. Since then, Tomiekia has suffered significant financial losses, including the loss of her job, home and depletion of all of her savings to pay for her defense attorney fees.

Sadly to say, on January 23, 2012, Tomiekia was wrongfully convicted of 1st degree murder. Such a verdict was delivered due to the biases against police officers and African American women. The jury completely ignored the facts presented, pointing to self-defense, and allowed the mere fact that Tomiekia was an officer over shadow the truth. During the trial, Tomiekia’s attorney presented sound evidence such as a 911 Emergency Call recording and Videotapes of her being physically and verbally abused in public by Marcus (husband) however she was still convicted.

  Tomiekia and her family pray that her story will help women become more vocal and speak out against Domestic Violence. We pray that you are inspired by her story to speak against domestic violence and become an advocated for persons who are affected by domestic violence.