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A Mayville man will spend more than a decade in prison for the November 2008 killing of his acquaintance -- a case boosted by advances in DNA testing and putting to rest a years-long investigation.
Rance “Randy” Freeman Jr. was sentenced Wednesday before Judge Susan M. Eagan to 14 years in state prison and five years post-release supervision for the killing of 55-year-old Jeffrey Johnson. The village man was indicted on murder charges in November 2018 before pleading guilty to a count of first-degree manslaughter in February of this year.
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed sentencing back by about seven months.
According to Chautauqua County District Attorney Patrick Swanson, the case was boosted by DNA forensic analysis that was not as advanced at the time of the Nov. 8, 2008, homicide. Specifically, Swanson said use of a DNA testing system known as STRmix helped investigators connect the murder weapon -- a heavy fireplace tool -- to Freeman.
The district attorney praised efforts of the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, notably investigators Randy Boland and David Morton, for ultimately helping to bring closure for Johnson’s family.
“This case had several pieces of evidence that were collected in 2008,” Swanson said. “Working on DNA evidence has evolved since then, and in the summer of 2017, or late 2017, we got the new information.”
Swanson said a partial DNA “hit” was made in 2008, but at the time it was decided there wasn’t enough to bring charges against a suspect. That changed by 2018, when Swanson decided there was enough evidence linking Freeman to the weapon and Johnson leading up to the homicide.
Swanson believes the killing was over Hydrocodone pills. He said Freeman was with Johnson when Johnson filled a prescription at CVS Pharmacy for a three-month supply of the powerful opioid used to treat severe pain.