Killer Denied Parole

The Alabama Parole Board has denied a request by Vernon Johnson for early release from prison. He was convicted of killing Alec Naman and Larry Kling back in the 1970's.

Here is the story we reported Monday:

It's hard to live in Mobile for any length of time without hearing or reading the name 'Naman.' In 1973 television viewers and newspaper readers saw and heard the name a lot. That's when 50 year old Alec Naman was gunned down by a man who robbed Naman's Grocery on South Broad St.

Vernon Johnson was the man police arrested shortly after he had taken Naman and stock clerk Larry Kling hostage. Johnson sat in the backseat of Naman's car forcing Naman and Kling to drive away from the store. Police caught up with them and in the confusion of lights and sirens Johnson shot Naman and Kling in the back of the head before fleeing the vehicle that had wrecked into a parked car.

But that's not all Vernon Johnson was guilty of. Police also linked him to the murders of two people at the Mutual Finance Company almost a year before the Naman robbery. Known as Mobile's Valentine's Day massacre, Johnson herded the finance company employees into a small bathroom and empty his pistol on them.

On Tuesday, Feb. 9, Vernon Johnson will sit before the Alabama Parole Board. He's served more than thirty-five years in prison. During a parole hearing in 2004, then asst. District Attorney Edmond Naman argued that had Johnson been tried under existing law he would have met every criteria for the death penalty. At the time, Alabama had abolished the death penalty and under existing law the worst punishment Johnson could get was life with the possibility of parole. Judge Ferrill McRae sentenced Johnson to the harshest sentence he could under the law, life plus sixty years. Those sentences were not to be served concurrently, which meant one after the other.

Johnson was turned down for parole in 2004. Naman family members are planning to make the trip to Montgomery to make sure the parole board hears what they have to say. Dr. Louis Naman, and Tony Naman talked to News 5 about their concerns over the parole hearing. Tony and Alec were partners in the grocery business. In fact, it was Tony who was supposed to be working the day of the robbery. Dr. Naman said, "So are we to conclude that if we let this vicious criminal aloose, that he won't come after the family that is responsible for making sure he stays in jail--I have my doubts. I don't want to have the thought that I ever have to confront this person again in civilized society."

We will have a full report tonight on News 5.