Two Men Get Life Sentences for MedPot Slaying

Two men were convicted today and immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2011 killing of a medical marijuana distributor whose body was found in a Long Beach alley.

Charles Mackbee, 44, and Kenneth Johnson, 38, were both convicted of first-degree murder. Jurors also found true the special circumstance allegation that the killing was carried out during the commission of a robbery.

Mackbee's cousin, Marcel Maurice Mackabee, was convicted last year for his role in the killing of 29-year-old Phillip Williamson of West Los Angeles. He was also sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Williamson -- who picked up marijuana from northern California and sold it in large quantities to medical marijuana dispensaries -- was shot once in the back of the head and dumped in an alley in the 1500 block of Pine Avenue on March 24, 2011. He died a day later.

Authorities said Mackabee -- who had met the victim through a mutual friend -- drove Williamson to Long Beach under the guise of a marijuana deal. The three men then robbed him of 10 pounds of marijuana, after which the victim was shot and dumped in an alley, prosecutors said.

Mackabee later returned to the victim's apartment and stole more than $150,000 in cash, according to the District Attorney's Office.

The men were linked to the killing through phone records and interviews with witnesses, prosecutors said. Mackabee was arrested in July 2011. Mackbee and Johnson were arrested in March 2012.

--City News Service