Man convicted in drug-related murder case

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Missouri (KFVS) – A man has been sentenced to serve time in a federal prison for shooting a man in Butler County, Missouri in furtherance of a heroin conspiracy.

James Odell Johnson was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday, August 20, in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau on charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin and conspiracy to possess and discharge a firearm in furtherance of a drug offense.

Johnson's sentence follows a 10-year sentence he received for shooting a Poplar Bluff Police/Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force officer in the arm in 2018. He received a total of 30 years in prison in that 2018 case.

According to federal prosecutors, Johnson admitted to shooting a man in Poplar Bluff on the orders of Shanesha “Nikki” Burns after members of a drug squad searched a home and found drugs used to sell and store heroin.

Prosecutors said Burns believed the victim informed police and told Johnson she wanted to kill him. This reportedly happened on May 18, 2018.

In a press release, prosecutors said Johnson invited the victim to a rural area to shoot. When the victim's gun jammed, Johnson shot him with a 9mm handgun, according to prosecutors. Johnson was later reportedly arrested with the murder weapon.

The victim’s body was discovered on May 20, 2018.

Prosecutors said Burns and James Michael Cohen pleaded guilty and were convicted in the case.

Cohen, 37, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession of heroin with intent to distribute. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison in February 2024.

Burns, 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in March 2024.

Members of the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, Poplar Bluff Police Department, Butler County Sheriff's Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case.

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