Suspect charged with murder of young victim described as “good kid”

VANCOUVER – A 23-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a young man described by homicide investigators as a good kid who naively agreed to care for a home that turned out to be a marijuana grow op.

Sgt. Jennifer Pound with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says 21-year-old Taylor Johnson was found dead from a gunshot wound inside a Langley home in February.

Pound says Johnson was staying at and caring for the property, and the shooting appears to have been a random act because investigators don’t believe the young man knew the shooter.

The home was the site of a grow op, and police believe that was the motive behind the shooting.

Pound says Johnson had no criminal record, and that he was just a naive kid who made a decision without knowing the risks.

Jesse River Hill is facing multiple charges in connection to Johnson’s death, including second degree murder with a firearm and break and enter.