Carlton Johnson

Carleton Elijah Johnson (born October 13, 1969), known as Carlton Johnson, is an American former professional football defensive back and convicted murderer. He played four seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Las Vegas Sting, Anaheim Piranhas, and Albany Firebirds, and two seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Shreveport Pirates. He played college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he was a two-time first-team All-Big West Conference selection. He joined the AFL in 1994 and earned first-team All-Arena honors during his rookie season. After two years as a starter in the CFL, Johnson returned to the AFL in 1996 and garnered second-team All-Arena recognition. His pro football career was plagued by injuries. He had left knee injuries for three straight years from 1995 to 1997 and suffered a career-ending spinal injury in 1998. In 2007, Johnson was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison for killing three of his family members.

Early life and college Carleton Elijah Johnson was born on October 13, 1969, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was a three-year letterman for the Rebels from 1989 to 1991. He had three interceptions for 52 yards in 1990 and four interceptions for no yards in 1991. He earned first-team All-Big West Conference honors in 1990 and 1991.

Professional career

Johnson was invited to the 1992 NFL Combine as a free safety but performed poorly. He went undrafted in the 1992 NFL draft and did not sign with any NFL teams. He played in 12 games for the Sting during the 1994 season as a defensive specialist, posting 59 solo tackles, 19 assisted tackles, 11 pass breakups, and five interceptions for 67 yards and one touchdown. The Sting finished the year with a 4–8 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Albany Firebirds by a score of 49–30.

After the AFL season, Johnson signed with the Shreveport Pirates of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He made his first start at cornerback on September 3, 1994, against the Baltimore CFL's after cornerback Antoine Worthman was moved to halfback to replace the injured Kip Texada. Johnson dressed in ten games overall during the 1994 season, recording 24 defensive tackles, seven assisted tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery, and four pass breakups. However, Johnson suffered a knee injury in the season opener on a block by San Antonio Texans receiver Joe Kralik. Johnson was then transferred to the injured list. Doctors at first contemplated surgery for Johnson but his knee ligaments started to heal on their own, so surgery was not necessary. After more than two months on the injured list, Johnson was activated prior to the September 15 game against Baltimore.

Upon becoming a free agent, Johnson was activated off of the Anaheim Piranhas' exempt list. The Piranhas were formerly the Las Vegas Sting. He decided to sign with the Piranhas in March 1996 instead of trying out for the CFL again due to the fact that the Piranhas' owners, like Johnson, were born again Christians. On June 29 against the Iowa Barnstormers, he injured his left knee on a kickoff return. It was the same knee he injured the prior year while in the CFL, with Johnson stating "I kept telling the doctors last year that it wasn't torn and I had to keep telling our doctors the same thing this year. Johnson played in ten games overall for the Piranhas in 1996, recording 46 solo tackles, 14 assisted tackles, one fumble recovery, two interceptions, and three pass breakups while also returning four kicks for 76 yards. Johnson garnered second-team All-Arena recognition for the 1996 season. Johnson appeared in the first three games of the 1997 season before suffering a left knee ligament injury for the third year in a row.

Johnson played in ten games for the Albany Firebirds of the AFL in 1998, posting 38 solo tackles, 29 assisted tackles, three forced fumbles, and 19 pass breakups. He then retired from football after doctors warned him he could be paralyzed for life if he was hit again.

Personal life Johnson was later a volunteer football coach and substitute teacher at Cheyenne High School in North Las Vegas. He drove away from the apartment and parked at a car wash. He then walked to another apartment complex, where he robbed a woman with a shotgun and ran away. Johnson later got into a fistfight with some men and was then arrested. After his arrest, he was sent to a state mental health facility where he received medication to treat a delusional disorder. Neighbors reported that Johnson had been known to leave his apartment door open and sit on his couch with a shotgun in order to "protect" his Ford Mustang. In July 2007, he was convicted of three counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to 60 years to life in prison. He was also sentenced to an additional 12 years for the robbery.