Leesburg Man Gets Life Sentence in 2012 Shooting Death of Sterling Man

A Leesburg man accused of fatally shooting a 30-year-old Sterling man for “snitching” in 2012 was sentenced to life in prison Thursday.

Ryan Blaine Williams, 33, was sentenced to life in prison plus three years Thursday in Loudoun County Circuit Court. Judge Thomas D. Horne cited the “sheer brutality” of Williams’ crime when affirming the life sentence recommended by the jury.

Williams was found guilty on one count of first-degree murder and one count of use of a firearm in commission of a felony in the shooting of Jovaughn Johnson, 30, of Sterling.

On Dec. 27, 2012, Williams entered Johnson’s parked SUV at the intersection of Trail Run and Great Trail terraces and shot him five times. Johnson’s body was found several hours later. The incident marked Loudoun County’s sole homicide in 2012.

Following the incident, Williams’ girlfriend drove him to Delaware and then to Colonial Beach, Virginia, where he was ultimately arrested Feb. 12, 2013.

Image: Loudoun Commonwealth Attorney’s Office