NORTHRIDGE : Man Pleads Guilty to Slaying at Deli

A man has pleaded guilty to murdering a securities broker outside a Northridge deli in what authorities said may have been a contract killing.

Marva DeCarlo Johnson, 31, of Pasadena pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of first-degree murder in the death of John Collett, 29, of Agoura Hills.

Under the plea bargain arranged by prosecutors, Johnson will not face the death penalty.

Instead, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Dver said.

Collett’s mother, Jan Holt, said Thursday that she is satisfied.

“The death penalty wasn’t so important as the fact he confessed,” Holt said.

Johnson, a computer technician, confessed to shooting Collett in the head at close range in front of Brent’s Deli on Oct. 28. Prosecutors dropped an allegation that Johnson killed Collett for money in exchange for Johnson’s guilty plea, Dver said.

In a preliminary hearing, Johnson’s business adviser testified that Johnson had been paid $30,000 to kill Collett. Prosecutors Thursday declined to comment further on the case, which they said is still under investigation.

Johnson is scheduled for sentencing in Los Angeles County Superior Court on May 3.