DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. – A Dauphin County jury convicted Johnny M. Collins, 25, of first-degree murder this afternoon for the 2014 killing of Daylynn Smith, 21.
Collins, then 23, confronted Smith in the Hall Manor Housing Project on June 3, 2014. Collins was furious about being blown off over a drug debt. As Smith attempted to run away, Collins shot Smith in the back with a 9mm handgun, killing him. The handgun was never recovered, although Harrisburg Police recovered one bullet from a stair in Hall Manor and five shell casings.
Several witnesses described a man with ear-length braids or dreadlocks shooting the victim at the scene or putting a handgun back into his waistband and walking away. These same witnesses identified Collins from photo lineups. One witness who identified Collins as the shooter, Miccah Green, disappeared some time in 2015 as the Commonwealth was set to go to trial. As a result of Green’s absence at trial, his earlier testimony from the preliminary hearing was read to the jury. Green’s whereabouts are still unknown to police.
The same jury also convicted Collins of Carrying a Firearm without a License. For the murder conviction, he faces life in prison. He is set for sentencing in front of Dauphin County President Judge Richard A. Lewis on May 23.
Collins was also convicted in September 2015 for Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana. You can read about that case here.
