2 Plead Guilty to Murder, Will Testify Against Friend

Two men who gunned down a man planning to make a drug buy on a secluded Granada Hills road pleaded guilty to murder Thursday and agreed to testify against a friend who was also charged with the killing.

In a plea bargain with prosecutors, Ron Noah Morton, 22, and Devin Taylor Otte, 21, agreed to testify against Scott William Johnson, 20, who is scheduled to stand trial Jan. 23 for the 1988 shooting death of John Gerald Johnston, 20. Morton and Otte pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree murder and face 25 years to life in state prison when they are sentenced after Johnson’s trial.

Had they stood trial and been convicted, they would have faced a maximum term of life in prison without the possibility of parole, the sentence Johnson could face if he is convicted.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Kenneth Barshop said the three men lured Johnston to a deserted fire road near Sesnon Boulevard and Louise Avenue with the promise that they would sell him three kilograms of cocaine for $17,000.

But Barshop said the three had no drugs and planned instead to ambush Johnston and steal his money.

Earlier in the day, the three men bought an Uzi semiautomatic rifle and went to a shooting range to practice firing it, Barshop said.

When Johnston got out of his car, Morton jumped from a hiding place and opened fire.

Johnston, hit several times, died at the scene. His money was stolen.

Stray bullets also hit Otte in the legs. He was taken by his friends to Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where he was arrested.

Morton and Johnson were arrested later.