A man was sentenced on Thursday to serve to life in prison without the possibility of parole — plus 20 years — for two killings, including the deadly shooting of a Baltimore Police officer.

Baltimore Circuit Judge Althea M. Handy imposed that punishment for Travon Shaw, 35, of Catonsville, on two counts of first-degree murder and related crimes in the fatal shootings of Officer Keona Holley and Justin Johnson on Dec. 16, 2021.

“Officer Keona Holley and Justin Johnson will never return home to their families, a fact that will remain with their loved ones for the rest of their lives,” Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said in a statement. “My heart goes out to them as they continue to grieve and work to heal.”

Bates commended the work of Assistant State’s Attorney Kurt Bjorklund and the Baltimore Police Department. Police officers are sworn to protect and serve the community, he said, but they’re also human and need support and protection.

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Shaw’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Matthew Connell, could not be reached for comment.

Holley, a two-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department, was shot in her patrol car before 1:30 a.m. on Pennington Avenue near Hazel Street in Curtis Bay. She died one week later at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center. The mother of four was 39.

Next, at about 3 a.m., Johnson was fatally shot while sitting in his 1997 Lincoln Town Car on Lucia Avenue near Airy Hill Avenue in Yale Heights. He was 37.

Prosecutors alleged that Elliot Knox shot and killed Holley. But they asserted that both Knox and Shaw fired at Johnson.

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In 2023, Shaw was found guilty of first-degree murder and related crimes in Johnson’s killing. He pleaded guilty on Thursday to first-degree murder in Holley’s slaying.

Earlier this month, Knox, 34, of Mount Holly, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and related crimes in both killings. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on June 4.

Justin Johnson was fatally shot while sitting in his car on Lucia Avenue near Airy Hill Avenue in Yale Heights on Dec. 16, 2021. (courtesy of WJZ)

In an interview, Justina Lawrence, Johnson’s mother, said her son was a father of five who tried to do his best in life. He was loved.

Her son, she said, would offer to help people without them having to ask. His life mattered, Lawrence said.

“It was a really senseless murder,” said Lawrence, who added that she addressed Shaw at sentencing. “To this day, we don’t know why they did it.”

“He had the opportunity more than once to say he was sorry,” she added. “And he never showed any remorse.”

Dylan Segelbaum

dylan.segelbaum@thebaltimorebanner.com

Dylan Segelbaum

Dylan Segelbaum is the courts reporter at The Baltimore Banner.

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