A recently released bodycam video left a courtroom in stunned silence, showing the final moments of a woman’s life.
The gruesome murder of Delia Johnson has raised troubling questions about how her alleged killer slipped through police hands the night of the murder.
Prosecutors played the harrowing footage in court this week, revealing Johnson, 42, gasping for air as blood streamed from her eyes after being shot multiple times outside a funeral in Crown Heights on August 4, 2021.
The video, shown during the ongoing trial of Claudia Banton, captures officers desperately performing CPR while bystanders scream in horror.
A Shocking Oversight by Police
The footage also highlights a critical misstep in the initial police response.
According to testimony from NYPD Detective William Woodly, officers had briefly stopped and spoken with Banton—only to let her go.
At the time, police were searching for a male suspect wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, based on early witness accounts.
Banton, who prosecutors allege was caught on surveillance footage casually walking up behind Johnson and shooting her in the head, was in a white Mercedes SUV when police initially encountered her.
“We spoke to her for a second… then left and continued the search,” Woodly testified. “Only later did I learn that the woman we stopped, she shot the victim.”
A Cold-Blooded Execution
Banton, 46, is on trial for second-degree murder.
Prosecutors say Johnson and Banton were once close friends, making the execution-style killing all the more shocking.
Surveillance footage shows the suspect firing multiple shots, even as Johnson collapsed to the ground. Banton then allegedly fled the scene, vanishing for three months before being apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Jacksonville, Florida.
Banton’s defense team argues that the prosecution has failed to provide a clear motive, a murder weapon, or a definitive identification linking her to the crime.
Defense attorneys also claim that the bodycam footage does not conclusively prove Banton was the shooter.
Justice for Delia Johnson
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez has called Johnson’s murder a “cold-blooded execution,” vowing to secure justice for her grieving family.
“This was a beloved mother, daughter, sister, and friend who did not deserve to have her life taken away from her,” Gonzalez stated.
The trial is ongoing, and Johnson’s family members are expected to take the stand and give their testimony in pursuit of the long-overdue justice for their loved one.
