A Lithonia man has been found guilty of murder and other charges related to a 2020 homicide. On February 14, 2025, a jury convicted Earnest Lee Johnson, aged 28, of several crimes including Malice Murder and Felony Murder in the death of Chanceler McCall. The incident occurred on December 28, 2020.
DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced the conviction. According to the investigation, officers from the DeKalb County Police Department responded to reports of a shooting on Donnell Way in Decatur shortly after 6 p.m. Upon arrival, they discovered shell casings and blood at the scene but no victim.
Witnesses reported seeing two men place a body into a vehicle before leaving the area. Chanceler McCall was reported missing by his mother on December 31, 2020. She mentioned her son had an ongoing dispute with Johnson and was last seen driving a Dodge Challenger.
Investigators matched blood at the crime scene to McCall using DNA samples from his mother. McCall’s burned car was found near the shooting site on December 29, while Johnson's vehicle was also discovered set ablaze in Conyers that same day.
Johnson was arrested on March 10, 2021. At his arrest, he possessed a gun linked to shell casings from the crime scene. His internet history showed searches related to legal terms such as “self-defense” and “homicide.”
McCall’s skeletal remains were found in Morgan County near I-20 in December 2021.
Judge Tangela Barrie will schedule Johnson's sentencing hearing soon. The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Tauri Williams with support from Assistant District Attorney Laura James and others involved in the investigation led by Detective Collins of the DeKalb County Police Department.