Harrisburg, Pa. – A Baltimore man has been sentenced to 110 months in prison after pleading guilty to obstructing a federal investigation into a triple homicide in Pennsylvania.
Mark Johnson, 36, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced Jan. 25, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
One of the victims had been collaborating with a federal drug investigation, authorities said.
Johnson aided his brother Christopher Johnson and others in an attempt to thwart the investigation into the June 25, 2016, murder of three people in a barn at a barn in Mercersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, according to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam.
One of the victims provided information to the DEA in Hagerstown, Maryland, and local law enforcement agencies in Maryland about drug trafficking in Hagerstown and elsewhere, a news release said.
The murders occurred on June 25, 2016 at a property along Welsh Run Road in Mercersburg, Franklin County.
When Pennsylvania State Police officers were called to the scene, they found Wendy Ann Chaney, 39, of Hagerstown, Md.; Brandon Cole, 47, Fayetteville, Pennsylvania; and Phillip Matthew Jackson, 36, of Mercersburg, Pa., all are believed to have been shot in a barn on Phillip Matthew Jackson’s property.
The three victims had their hands zipped behind their backs and set on fire.
Jackson and Cole were shot once in the head, according to police. Chaney was shot twice, once in the back and once in the head. Chaney and Cole were already dead when police arrived at the scene. Phillip Jackson was transported to York Hospital where he died shortly after arrival.
According to the police, the murder was a contract killing. The killer has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
Kevin Coles, also of Maryland, was convicted by a federal jury in April 2022 of a commission-killing order. Johnson was not involved in the murders or the planning of the murders, but assisted his brother in avoiding arrests and assisting in an attempt to locate and kill a co-defendant in the triple murders who was believed to be with cooperated with federal agencies, the investigation said.
Related reading: Man pleads guilty to murder-for-hire that killed three people
The following people have pleaded guilty or have been convicted in connection with the investigation:
• Kevin Coles, of New York, NY and Hagerstown, Md., was found guilty of multiple felonies, including murder in rent, robbery and drug trafficking, following a trial in April and is awaiting sentencing;
• Jerell Adgebesan, of Baltimore and Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to the murders of three people in Mercersburg, Franklin County and is awaiting conviction;
• Devin Dickerson, Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and crack cocaine and is awaiting conviction;
• Kenyatta Corbett, Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and complicity in the use of a firearm during the Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting conviction;
• Michael Buck, Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to the Hobbs Act robbery and complicity in the use of a firearm during the Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting conviction;
• Nicholas Preddy, Baltimore, pleaded guilty to attempted killing of a witness and is awaiting conviction;
• Johnnie Jenkins-Armstrong, Baltimore, pleaded guilty to the Hobbs Act robbery and complicity in the use of a firearm during the Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting conviction;
• Terrance Lawson, Baltimore, sentenced to prison for attempting to intimidate a witness;
• Tyrone Armstrong, Baltimore, sentenced to prison for attempting to intimidate a witness;
• Christopher Johnson, Baltimore, pleaded guilty to multiple counts, including murder for hire, and is awaiting sentencing;
• Mark Johnson, Baltimore, pleaded guilty to obstructing grand jury investigation and is awaiting sentencing; and
• Llesenia Woodard, Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to providing false testimony to the grand jury investigating the murders and is awaiting sentencing.
Joshua Davis previously pleaded guilty to taking part in the conspiracy to locate and kill an individual believed to be cooperating with federal authorities in the investigation into the triple murders. Davis was sentenced to 100 months in prison. Torey White’s trial is currently scheduled for May 1, 2023.
The following federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation: Drug Enforcement Administration Harrisburg Resident Office; Pennsylvania State Police, Chambersburg; Pennsylvania State Police, Troop H; Franklin County Drug Task Force; Franklin County adult parole; Pennsylvania State Parole and Probation; Hagerstown Police Department, Criminal Investigation Department; Drug Enforcement Administration, Hagerstown Citizens Bureau; Washington County Narcotics Task Force; Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore County Office, Strike Force Group 1; Maryland State Police Homicide Unit; Narcotics, Fugitive and Homicide Units of the Baltimore Police Department; Baltimore County Police Department Narcotics and Gang Unit; Federal Bureau of Investigation Evidence Management Unit, Quantico, VA; Service of US Marshal Harrisburg, PA and Phoenix, AZ; Franklin County District Attorney’s Office; United States Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland; and the Washington County Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys William A. Behe and Michael Consiglio are prosecuting the case.
