Suspect charged in Johnson murder

By DAVID MELSON - dmelson@t-g.com

Posted 3/22/22

A suspect has been charged in the murder last Tuesday of Sarah Angelina Johnson at her Sims Road home. Raymond Antonio Smith, 35, of Shelbyville faces a charge of first degree murder. He was charged Monday by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

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Suspect charged in Johnson murder

Posted Tuesday, March 22, 2022 12:05 am

By DAVID MELSON - dmelson@t-g.com

A suspect has been charged in the murder last Tuesday of Sarah Angelina Johnson at her Sims Road home.

Raymond Antonio Smith, 35, of Shelbyville faces a charge of first degree murder. He was charged Monday by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Smith is being held without bond at Bedford County Jail.

“During the course of the investigation, agents and detectives identified Raymond Smith as the individual responsible for Sarah Johnson’s death,” the TBI said Monday.

Smith, a Fay Creek Road resident, has been in jail since his arrest last Wednesday — the day following the murder — by the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office on a charge of aggravated criminal trespassing.

The criminal trespassing arrest warrant cites a Sunday, March 13 incident in which Smith allegedly “entered on the property without effective consent causing fear for the owner of the residence and their family.”

No location of that residence is given nor any indication whether there was any connection with the Johnson murder.

Johnson was found dead Tuesday night after her car was stolen from her home and wrecked a short distance away on Henslee Road. A search for a man who knocked on doors of two nearby residences was halted Wednesday with no explanation.

She suffered severe head trauma, according to investigators, with no details revealed on what type of weapon was used.