An Iowa man convicted of gunning down a random mother on the sidewalk after she refused his catcalls faces a mandatory life sentence.
On Wednesday, James Bernard Johnson, 43, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2024 shooting death of 42-year-old Nikki Loffredo. Johnson shot Lofferdo on a sidewalk shortly before 4 a.m. on July 27, 2024, after catcalling her from his car and inviting her to a party with him.
“Who are you?” Loffredo, a bartender, responded to Johnson as he drove by and yelled at her out the window of his SUV, according to the Polk County Attorney’s Office.
Johnson allegedly felt “disrespected” by Loffredo’s response to his catcalls, so he pulled out his pistol and fired four shots at her before speeding away. Johnson claimed he was just trying to scare Loffredo by aiming at the ground, but she was hit by several shots and died two days later in the hospital.
According to authorities, Johnson had seen Loffredo earlier in the day and decided to approach her when he saw her again. Prosecutors say the two had no prior connection.
Johnson was arrested for the murder a few days later, on August 2; investigators discovered text messages between him and his girlfriend in which he stated he “popped” someone earlier.
According to prosecutors, Johnson was high on marijuana and cocaine on the day of the murder; however, it is unclear whether his intoxication influenced his decision to shoot that morning. Johnson has prior drug convictions, according to prosecutors.
Jurors in his case deliberated for only hours after a week-long trial before returning a guilty verdict against the 43-year-old.
He is due to be sentenced on June 20 and faces the possibility of life in prison.
Loffredo’s family remembered her as “very kind and compassionate, and was always willing to help anyone in need.”
“She loved to spoil her nephews and take them to movies and Chuck E. Cheese,” her obituary reads.