Murder trial begins against co-defendant in shooting of 17-year-old Jesse Hogg in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The trial began Monday in Circuit Court for Tristan Johnson Jr., 17, who is charged with a total of seven counts of aggravated murder in connection with the 2022 shooting death of 17-year-old Jesse Hogg.

Two neighbors who live on Sykes Avenue and Vick Street testified about what they saw and heard on the afternoon of December 21, 2022 in the 100 block of Sykes Avenue near Portsmouth City Park — and what was recorded on their surveillance videos and cell phones.

A man who lives on the corner of Sykes and Vick streets testified he saw four young people coming onto Sykes Avenue in the same car, a red Kia that the Commonwealth said was stolen. He went outside and five gunshots could be heard on his phone video.

The man went inside, called 911, went out and found Hogg’s body in a front yard on Sykes Avenue.

Another neighbor testified he heard the same five shots while inside watching television. He then went outside, heard five more shots, for a total of 10, and called 911. While he was still on the phone with 911, he went to investigate where the shots were coming from and found Hogg lying in a front yard on Sykes Avenue. He told the 911 operator he could not feel a pulse. According to the Commonwealth, Hogg was shot five times.

The four people were allegedly in the area to buy Hogg’s gun.

The Commonwealth alleges that Johnson reached for Hogg’s gun, which he carried in his waistband, and that two other defendants then fired several shots at Hogg; the second group of five shots was fired by Johnson and co-defendant Pharondus Clemon.

Johnson’s defense attorney, however, said it was Clemon who killed Hogg. Defense attorney Von Piersall told the jury that it was Clemon’s plan – not Johnson’s – to rob Hogg of his gun in the first place.

Johnson was 16 at the time of Hogg’s death. The youngest of the other three defendants was just 13 years old. His defense attorney Nathan Chapman told WAVY that the 13-year-old pleaded guilty to murder and is currently in juvenile detention.

Clemon was 17 at the time and her trial is scheduled for December. Analwah Jones was the oldest of the four defendants at 18 in December 2022. Her hearing is scheduled for July.