CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Chesapeake woman is now out on bond after a judge granted her a new trial—a decision that followed a News 3 investigation exposing how important evidence wasn’t shown to the jury during her murder trial.
Tia Johnson was locked up for 16 months for killing her boyfriend, Martario Gee, in February of 2024.
Previous coverage: Chesapeake woman gets new trial, murder conviction vacated after WTKR found important evidence
Last month, a judge granted her a new trial and her first-degree murder conviction was vacated.
"I really cannot thank you all enough," Johnson said after being released from the Chesapeake jail. "You were able to get the FOIA request. I feel like this played a big part in everything. Had you not done that, I still would've been sitting in Chesapeake City Jail right now."
Ring video had captured Johnson killing Gee as he was leaving her house. She claims she was afraid he would carry out his threat to kill her and her children.
"I was afraid that he was going to come back and kill me and my children like he said he would," Johnson said.
Watch: Body cam video shows police responding to 911 calls made from Tia Johnson’s home
Johnson said she didn’t intend to kill him, explaining that she wanted to fire a shot to scare him into leaving her alone.
She said they had only been dating for a few months, but alleges that Gee would become abusive, often when alcohol was involved.
"There'd be times when he punched me, slapped me. He pulled my hair out. He's choked me to the point I urinated on myself," she said.
Before her conviction, Johnson told her attorney Eric Korslund that she had called 911 on Gee a few weeks before the shooting.
Previous coverage: Lawyer for convicted murderer says prosecutors withheld vital evidence found by WTKR
Korslund repeatedly requested any previous 911 calls from the Commonwealth's Attorney, even asking for them to search by address and not her name.
However, the Commonwealth's Attorney and a detective claimed there was no record of a previous call.
The News 3 Investigative Team's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request uncovered that police were called to the house on January 3—about six weeks before the deadly shooting. Gee and Johnson called 911 on each other but did not give their names. Officers responded to the home three times that night in January of 2024.
Our FOIA request also showed that there were six police body camera videos showing what happened during the domestic incident.
"It was just mind-blowing that it would be found, but it wasn't found before my trial," Johnson said.
Johnson says she was made out to be a liar during her initial trial regarding the previous 911 call.
Gee had a long criminal history, including 12 assault and domestic violence charges, as well as a murder charge, but most were dismissed and not allowed to be part of her first trial.
"I want a new trial, a fair trial,” Johnson said.
As she awaits her new trial in January, Johnson wears a GPS tracking device on her ankle. She says she's grateful to be home with her four children.
"I'm not a monster. I'm a mother. I'm very loving, actually," she said.
