See No Evil is investigating the double homicide of teenagers Matrell Johnson and Royal Abram who were gunned down in a parking lot by Andre Richardson in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
On the night of May 18, 2019, the community of Cedar Rapids was shocked to learn that four teenagers had been shot as they sat in their SUV in the parking lot of the Iowa Smoke Shop.
Johnson and Abram, both 18 years old, were killed in the shooting, and their two friends, Kayla Panos-Blackcloud and Booker McKinney were injured.
Andre Richardson arrived in the parking lot a few minutes before his victims as a passenger in a car containing four other people. The victims’ black Buick Rendezvous, driven by Panos-Blackcloud, pulled into a parking space beside Richardson’s vehicle.
Richardson exited his vehicle and, with a .45 caliber handgun, began firing at close range toward the SUV and the four occupants. The killer hit all four of his intended victims, but only Johnson and Abram lost their lives.
Andre Richardson admitted being the Cedar Rapids shooter
The police were later able to identify Richardson through a security camera. He admitted to being the shooter but claimed it was self-defense- sort of.
He claimed that an SUV similar to the one used by the victims had been involved in a shooting at his girlfriend’s house a few days earlier. He said someone using a black SUV had fired at him and that someone had put a picture of that car on Facebook. He believed the victims’ car was the same vehicle and that his life was in danger.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelRichardson said he had no idea who was in the car but decided it was best just to start shooting. Ultimately, he agreed to plead guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and attempted murder, along with several other charges.
The killer was sentenced to 75 years. At his sentencing, Richardson apologized to his victims‘ families: “I would like to extend my sincere apologies to everyone affected by this, especially the families of Royal and Matrell.”
More from See No Evil
Follow the links to read about more murders profiled on See No Evil.
Kelton Fox and Tiera Hall were supposedly high school sweethearts from Durham, North Carolina, but one afternoon, Fox brutally butchered his girlfriend and left her lying on the porch of an abandoned house near their school.
Charles Severance was angry with the authorities in Alexandria, Virginia, after he lost a custody battle and a mayoral election. He seems to have vented his rage by murdering Nancy Dunning, Ronald Kirby, and Ruthanne Lodato.
See No Evil airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.