Cleveland County Jury Finds Woman Guilty of Second-Degree Murder, Harboring a Fugitive

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — A woman was found guilty of second-degree murder and harboring a fugitive for the death of Timothy Johnson by a Cleveland County Jury on Friday.

Jennifer Gerner was found guilty of these crimes in connection to an incident on November 15, 2022.

On November 15, 2022, officials with the Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD) responded to a call for Johnson who had an active felony warrant from Missouri.

When officers arrived at the scene, Gerner allowed officers to search her trailer for Johnson.

During the search, Johnson was found underneath a mattress and began to fire shots at officers.

OKCPD officers returned fire and Johnson died as a result of the exchange.

District Attorney Greg Mashburn said that Gerner ‘lied’ to officers about Johnson’s whereabouts:

Had the defendant been truthful with law enforcement we would not have had the jury trial we had this week. The defendant knew Mr. Johnson was wanted for a warrant, she knew he had a gun, she helped to conceal him in the trailer, and she subsequently lied to the responding officers. Her imminently dangerous conduct led to Mr. Johnson’s death and put the lives of the officers at risk. I am proud of ADAs John Salmon and Justin Kemp for their commitment to uphold the law and protect the citizens of Cleveland County. Thank you to the officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department who went out to do their job and ended up in this unfortunate situation. We know that officers put their lives on the line at every call they respond to.

The jury recommended 10 years for the second-degree murder charge and five years for harboring a fugitive.

Gerner will be sentenced on April 12, 2024.