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2 weeks ago
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The mother of an autistic Good Samaritan who was shot dead trying to stop a domestic abuser beating his girlfriend is furious he was on bail at the time.
Devon Michael Adams, 27, was eating a sandwich in his car outside a Cub Foods in Minneapolis at 11am on March 9 last year when he heard a woman's scream.
He got out of his car and walked over to Johnson Kenny Sirleaf, 34, to get him to back off, and just as he was walking away, he was shot in the chest.
Witnesses told police they heard a gunshot and then a man fall to the ground and an SUV quickly driving away form the scene.
Sirleaf was finally jailed for life without the possibility of parole on June 13.
Devon Michael Adams, 27, was was shot dead trying to stop a domestic abuser beating his girlfriend
Adams was eating a sandwich in his car outside a Cub Foods in Minneapolis at 11am on March 9 last year when he heard a woman's scream
The victim's mother Kim Adams wrote on Facebook after her son's death about coming face to face with his killer in court.
'My son is a hero... He got out of his truck, left it open and went to help that woman. He did not know them and had never seen them before,' she wrote.
'My son is the most loving person I've ever met, although he has driven me crazy through the years pretty hard.
'I got to lock eyes with [Sirleaf], the shooter looked at me, I looked back at him. I stared at him the whole entire time, he became very nervous, agitated and shout it out a couple times in the courtroom.
'[He has] a long criminal history and actually should not have been on the streets at all.'
Sirleaf had six felony convictions when he shot Adams, and was indicted on two more, but was free on bail.
Johnson Kenny Sirleaf, 34, shot Adams in the chest after he confronted him. He was on bail for domestic violence and had six felony convictions
Court records showed Sirleaf was first convicted of trespassing in 2009 and fined $50, then was jailed for nine days and on probation for 21 months for felony possession or sale of fake checks in February 2010.
He only made it until November of that year when he was convicted of felony receiving stolen property, getting him 64 days in jail and five years' probation.
Misdemeanor stealing and carrying a firearm convictions, along with felony third-degree burglary, followed a year later and he was jailed for 18 months.
Sirleaf's criminality escalated to violence straight after his release with two first-degree aggravated robbery convictions in December 2012, and a 67-month prison sentence.
He was allowed to serve those concurrently, and when he got out he committed another robbery and in June 2017 was jailed for another 52 months.
'My son is a hero... He got out of his truck, left it open and went to help that woman. He did not know them and had never seen them before,' his mother Kim wrote
Adams kicks a soccer ball around while playing with his sister
When he shot Adams, he was out on bail for four months for theft and domestic assault charges, with a warrant for his arrest after skipping court dates.
Those charges were not pursued after his murder arrest and do not appear in his conviction history.
Kim said she was furious when she found out Sirleaf was out on bail for the final two charges, despite his lengthy criminal history.
'This has been going on for a long, long time. He should have been in prison,' she told Alpha News this week.
'We are teaching these criminals that they can get away with this. They know the line and we are co-signing this saying you can.
'People are moving here in droves for our great welfare system. They know the revolving door. They watch this stuff, they are smart. It's just unbelievable.'
Adam's mother Kim said she was furious when she found out Sirleaf was out on bail for the final two charges, despite his lengthy criminal history
Kim holds a photo of her son as a child as she memorializes him
Kim said Devon was on the autism spectrum, but owned a tree-lopping business and was a conciliator who 'always wanted to keep the peace'.
'Losing a child from murder changes your perspective of the world and mankind, ' she told the court at sentencing.
'[Adams] immediately reacted when he witnessed someone in danger. When I was told what he did, it didn't surprise me at all. I said, 'Of course he did'.'
When the woman Sirleaf was beating gave her evidence, she called Adams her 'guardian angel'.
Sirleaf was tracked down through analysis of surveillance footage from the car park of the Cub Foods, showing the 2013 Buick Encore SUV leaving the scene.
It drove straight to a nearby long-stay hotel where both Sirleaf and Adams were coincidentally staying, and the shooter get out.
Witnesses said they saw the car two days earlier, and identified the driver as Sirleaf.
Sirleaf was picked up by a white Ford F‐250 about 20 minutes later, driven by Blanyon Toe Davies, 30, who was charged with aiding Sirleaf.
Davies quickly pleaded guilty after his arrest and was instrumental in convicting Sirleaf by testifying against him.
Blanyon Toe Davies, 30, quickly pleaded guilty after his arrest for aiding Sirleaf's escape and was instrumental in convicting Sirleaf by testifying against him
Prosecutors praised him for helping them without asking for anything in return, saying he was 'doing the right thing'.
'Everybody suffered for no reason. There was no reason for this, and I couldn't let (Devon's mother) suffer,' he said.
'He's a coward. All that tough stuff is an act.'
'What you did took so much courage, and you did it for all the right reasons. It was honorable, and I want to thank you for that,' Judge Dyanna Street told him.
Davies and Kim embraced on his way out of court, and she called him a 'brave person' for his testimony.
He was given probation in recognition of his assistance in convicting Sirleaf of first-degree murder.
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