Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced that a 21-year-old Pemberton Township man was sentenced today to 28 years in state prison for fatally shooting a 17-year-old male and wounding a 17-year-old female in Browns Mills in October 2021.

The sentence was the result of a plea agreement between the Prosecutor’s Office and Kai Johnson, who pled guilty to Aggravated Manslaughter (First Degree) and Attempted Murder (First Degree) in October 2023. The sentence was handed down in Superior Court in Mount Holly by the Hon. Richard J. Nocella, J.S.C.

The investigation began October 18, 2021 after officers from the Pemberton Township Police Department responded to a report of a shooting at approximately 11:30 p.m. in the 100 block of Snow Avenue.

Upon arrival, they discovered Malachi Treherne, of Pemberton Township, lying in the doorway of the residence. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The female victim was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton and has since recovered from her wounds. Johnson turned himself in to police three days after the shootings.

The investigation revealed that Johnson and the decedent were having an argument inside the house when Johnson pulled out a gun and shot him twice in the head, then chased down the other victim, found her hiding behind a door, and shot her in the chest.

Johnson was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Hutchinson. The investigation was conducted by detectives from the Pemberton Township Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office. The lead investigators were BCPO Detective Sgt. Erica Ridge, BCPO Detective Shannon Sawyer and PTPD Detective Anthony Luster.

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