17-year-old Conway murder suspect arrested in Hartsville

By Jody Barr
WBTW News 13 Reporter
Published: July 3, 2008

The teen wanted in connection to a shooting that killed 29 year old Monica Burroughs was arrested Wednesday morning by the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force.

Agents arrested Johnson at an apartment off Robinhood Road in Hartsville, which is just north of the city limits near the Highway 102 and 15 intersection, according to Darlington County sheriff’s Lieutenant Robin Bryant.

Bryant said US Marshals got a tip that Johnson was staying in the apartment.

The anonymous tip was called in to authorities after News13 aired a report about the suspect Tuesday night, according to authorities.

Conway police named Johnson as the suspect after witnesses told investigators she started a fight with Burroughs, then shot her once in the chest at Burroughs’ Huckabee Heights apartment in Conway back on June 24.

Teresa Cox told News13 that she and Burroughs were sitting in a car in Burroughs’ driveway when Johnson walked up to Burroughs’ window and the two got into an altercation.

Cox said when she got out of her car, she heard a gunshot and saw Johnson running away from the scene carrying a long, silver gun.

Burroughs died at the Conway medical center a short time later.

Authorities started the search for Burroughs on June 24; that search ended Wednesday in Hartsville.

Deputy Marshals took Johnson to the Darlington County Detention Center where Conway police extradited her back to Horry County and booked her into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center around 5:20 p.m. Wednesday to face charges in the killing.

Johnson, while handcuffed in the back seat of a Conway police car, made an obscene gesture to a News13 camera crew taping her arrival to the jail in Horry County.

Two Conway officers escorted Johnson into the sally port of the detention center where investigators booked her, then served her with formal charges late Wednesday evening.

Johnson will face a judge for an initial appearance where she’ll be notified of the charges against her and informed of her rights as prosecutors begin to prepare a case against her.

You can count on News13 to continue to follow this story as details become available.