ROCKINGHAM — Joe Carroll was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday after a jury decided he was guilty of killing Casey Johnson in 2021.
During her closing arguments, District Attorney Jamie Adams — who was joined by ADA Matt Victory — presented a slide show to the jury, showing how the prosecution proved each element of each charge levied against Carroll in the case with evidence and witness testimony.
“A lot of what you’ve seen, you’re not going to be able to unsee,” Adams told the jury.
The two questions that had to be answered, Adams said, were how Casey died and who did it.
Adams admitted that Michelle Johnson, Casey’s mother, initially confessed that she had pushed her son down during an altercation, but said that her story changed once Johnson got away from Carroll.
During a video presented as evidence and replayed during closing arguments, Michelle Johnson was telling police one version of events and Carroll could be heard in the background correcting her so their stories would match.
Johnson’s story later became that Carroll banged Casey’s head against the floor multiple times, Adams said.
The DA highlighted some of the abuse that Casey and his two sisters endured while living with Carroll including sleep and food deprivation, beat downs, name calling, excessive exercise and waterboarding.
Michelle Johnson was offered a plea deal to accessory after the fact and two counts of felony child abuse, Adams said, for doing nothing to stop the abuse of her children and lying to law enforcement.
Adams looked Carroll in the eye when saying what he did to the kids will not be tolerated in Richmond County.
Defense attorney Rick Beam, joined by Scott Gselle, focused on the testimony of Michelle Johnson, how she initially admitted guilt and didn’t change her story until she was told she would be charged with murder.
Beam said that things in the Carroll house “were a little different,” and that the evidence only told “part of the story,” arguing that nothing proved who actually killed Casey.
It was “just as reasonable,” Beam said, that Michelle Johnson killed her son.
The defense attorney told the jury to question how much weight to give to the evidence and testimony and hold the state to its burden of proof.
Following instructions by Superior Court Judge Stephan Futrell, the jury went back to deliberate at 11:50 a.m. A few minutes later, they signaled that a foreperson had been selected.
At 11:58 a.m. the jury asked for the exhibits of evidence and were provided photos and documents, but not the disks containing videos.
When the jury next knocked on the door at 12:35 p.m., they indicated that they had reached a verdict: guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of felony child abuse.
Gselle asked that each juror be polled individually, with each one affirming their decision — one enthusiastically.
Prior to sentencing, Madeline Johnson — one of Casey’s two younger sisters — addressed the court.
“I struggle with words to say,” she said. “Joe made us so weak…so that we couldn’t fight back, adding that Carroll “took my family and ripped it into shreds.”
Her uncle and current guardian Bryan Jefferson also addressed the court, saying he has witnessed the aftermath of the abuse and murder and that it has “left permanent scars” on his family and the community.
Casey’s sisters, Jefferson said, “carry emotional wounds that may never heal.”
Jefferson also chastised the Department of Social Services for not acting after he said multiple calls were made about the situation.
Jefferson said he hopes the case serves as a call for change so no other child has to suffer.
Carroll was sentenced to life without parole on the murder charge and a minium of 65 months for each count of child abuse, all to be served consecutively.
Gselle announced that Carroll would be filing an appeal.
Court records show Michelle Johnson’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 3. All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the day of the conviction. 1:01 p.m. 10-9-25.
