State says killer violated probation as release date approached

State officials say a convicted killer violated his probation before he even got out of prison.

Randal S. Johnson, 66, pleaded no contest in 2021 to a charge of second-degree murder. The plea was part of a deal that saw him sentenced to 20 years to life in prison, suspended with probation except for nine years to serve, for the 2017 killing of his girlfriend, 58-year-old Tara Fitzgerald.