Parolee Convicted of Killing Harlem Figure
A 37-year-old was convicted of raping and killing the 81-year-old widow of legendary jazz drummer Walter Johnson.
Elbert Mitchell, a paroled robber, faces life without parole when he is sentenced Jan. 10 in the strangulation slaying of Ruby Jean Johnson, whose body was found June 26, 1998, doubled over in the bathtub of her Harlem home.
The jury deliberated 1 1/2 days before reaching its verdict. Mitchell was found guilty of four counts of felony murder in the first degree, including rape, murder, sodomy and burglary.
Mitchell was also found guilty of intentional murder in the second degree.
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