Naman Shrestha
When a single mother of two named Sherry Prather disappeared from a Jacksonville, Florida, bar in October 2012, her family filed a missing persons report. Soon, their worst nightmare turned into reality when the search led the authorities to her remains. The episode titled ‘Mr. Nobody’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Homicide Hunter: American Detective’ chronicles the details of the horrific murder case as the investigators followed each and every lead diligently before finally catching the killer a few years later. The documentary also features interviews with a few loved ones of Sherry, further diving deep into the impact her untimely demise had on them and the community.
Sherry Prather’s Remains Were Found a Few Miles Away From Where She Was Last Seen
Sherry Lee Prather was born on December 28, 1968, in Jacksonville, Florida, and raised by her loving mother, Norma Ellis, alongside her sister, Holly Robinson. Being a free-spirited woman, Sherry loved to party with her friends and socialize with everybody. According to her mother, who was also her best friend, she had a beautiful voice and loved karaoke. In her 20s, she was married to a man with whom she shared two daughters — Mandy and Britney Gonzalez. After the marriage ended, she moved in with Norma, alongside her daughters. She was fascinated by Harley Davidson motorcycles and liked spending time with her friends at the bar.
Sherry got into a series of failed romantic relationships, which reportedly led her down a dark path of drug and alcohol abuse. After a hard-fought battle with addiction, she finally got clean and found sobriety for the sake of herself as well as her daughters. Although she was out of addiction, she used to regularly visit the Boots N Bottles bar with her friends on the regular. On the night of October 12, 2012, she went to the bar to celebrate a girls’ night. However, when she did not return home until the following day, her mother became concerned for her 43-year-old daughter.
When her family failed to find her, Sherry was reported missing three days later. Upon investigating the disappearance, the police determined that the missing woman was last seen outside the Boots N Bottles bar riding away with a man on a motorcycle around 2:20 am on October 12, 2012. About a month later, the evidence led them near 12600 Braddock Road in northwest Jacksonville, where they found her remains scattered around the wooded area on November 14. Some of his personal items, including jewelry, clothing, and shoes were also recovered from the site. The autopsy reports revealed the cause of her death to be a gunshot wound to the chest. As soon as her death was determined to be a homicide, an investigation was launched.
Sherry Prather’s Killer Offered Him a Motorcycle Ride on the Fateful Night
Upon interviewing Sherry Prather’s loved ones, the police learned that she recently broke up with her boyfriend, Daniel Dollison, who became a person of interest. When he provided them with a solid alibi for the night of the murder, the detectives eliminated him from their list of potential suspects and went to the bar where she was last seen. Soon, they learned that the man she rode off with from the bar was Johnny Wayne Johnson, also known as “The Viking.” When he was brought into questioning, he claimed that he dropped her off at a house on Trout River Boulevard. Suspecting his involvement in the crime, the authorities also interviewed his then-partner, who told them the same story as him.
Moreover, his rap sheet included an 11-month sentence for burglary in 1996 and a domestic violence injunction filed by her ex-wife. However, due to a lack of evidence, the detectives could not charge him with anything related to the murder of Sherry. For a few years, the case went cold because of the lack of leads and witnesses. In 2016, the detectives decided to reach out to his partner, who had separated from him since she was last questioned. This time, she gave an entirely different account of what had transpired on the fateful night. She claimed that Johnny had talked about killing Sherry Prather and disposing of her body on Braddock Road. Following this revelation, the prime suspect was taken into custody from his home off Maiden Voyage Circle in Jacksonville, Florida, and questioned by the investigators once again.
During his second interrogation, Johnny initially stuck to the same story he had told a few years ago, only to change a few aspects of it later. Maintaining his innocence, he even banged his head multiple times in the interrogation room when the detectives left him alone. Since they had enough evidence and witness accounts against him, the authorities arrested him on November 19, 2016, and charged him with the second-degree murder of Sherry Lee Prather. He was held at the Duval County Jail without the option of posting bond as he awaited trial.
Johnny Johnson is Currently Incarcerated at a Florida Prison Facility
At first, Johnny Johnson maintained his innocence and claimed that he had nothing to do with the murder of Sherry Lee Prather in October 2012. However, within a couple of years, on March 12, 2018, he pleaded guilty to the murder. Subsequently, the killer was sentenced to 20 and a half years in prison for the killing. Although no definitive motive was established, the prosecution believed that on the night of the murder, when Johnny allegedly made sexual advances towards her, she refused to indulge in them, which could have infuriated him and led him to shoot her to death.
As for Sherry’s family and loved ones, they were relieved to know that the killer was finally off the streets and behind bars. They also ensured that they expressed their gratitude to everyone who helped bring the perpetrator to justice. As of today, Johnny Wayne Johnson is serving his sentence at Bay Correctional Facility in Panama City, Florida, with his current release date scheduled for January 2035.
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