Conyers Man Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Murder and Shooting Girlfriend

A Conyers man will spend the remainder of his life in prison after being sentenced for the 2020 shooting that killed a Good Samaritan and injured his girlfriend. Clinton Eric Johnson, 54, was found guilty by a jury on February 21, 2025, on charges including Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, and firearm offenses.

On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Nora L. Polk sentenced Johnson to Life Without the Possibility of Parole, plus an additional 25 years.

The investigation revealed that on November 5, 2020, DeKalb County Police responded to a shooting at an apartment complex on Central Drive in Stone Mountain. They found 30-year-old Reggie “Rico” Weatherly deceased with multiple gunshot wounds. They also located Johnson’s 39-year-old girlfriend at a nearby drug store, suffering from gunshot wounds to her leg and arm.

The female victim explained that she was trying to move out from the home she shared with Johnson due to his possessive behavior and her fear of him. Reggie Weatherly was assisting her in her search for a new apartment. While Weatherly and the woman were sitting in a car at the apartment complex, Johnson approached and began shooting into the vehicle when he couldn’t open the door.

Johnson then forcibly removed his injured girlfriend from the car and forced her into his vehicle, accusing her of infidelity. Despite her pleas for medical attention, he drove for several minutes before releasing her at the drug store, where she called 911. Fearing for her teenage son who still resided with Johnson, police located the child unharmed. Johnson, who was found walking his dog nearby, denied involvement in the shooting, but surveillance footage from the drug store contradicted his statement.

The case was prosecuted by the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit.