Staff Report

Suffolk Circuit Court Judge Ward Eason on Monday sentenced Thomas Lee Johnson to 30 years for the December 2001 murder of an elderly Goodman Street man.

In July, a jury found Johnson guilty of first-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy in the death of Linwood Williams.

According to court testimony, Williams, 63, a retired cement finisher for the City of Norfolk, died after receiving seven blows to the side of his head with an ax handle.

Eason supported the jury’s recommended sentence for Johnson – 20 years for first-degree murder, five years for robbery and five years for conspiracy.