Neighbor of slain woman jailed after vandalizing interrogation room camera

A 24-year-old neighbor of a woman found dying late Wednesday in her Westside home is behind bars on a criminal mischief charge after a video camera was disabled in a Sheriff's Office interrogation room, police said.

Although not charged in Shirley Lavern Blakely's death, Darnell Eugene Johnson had been brought in Thursday for questioning by homicide detectives, police said.

Blakely was found with multiple injuries shortly before midnight Wednesday in her home on Beaverbrook Place, police said. Her son found her dying on a bedroom floor, pointing next door and saying a man's nickname with "her last breath," daughter Kayla Orr told Times-Union news partner First Coast News.

Johnson was brought in about 1 p.m. for questioning at the Sheriff's Office, with his arrest report indicating the case was routed to the homicide division. At some point over the next few hours, the face plate and camera lens were removed from a camera in that room.

Officers also were the Blakely's home Sunday on an apparent drive-by shooting. Shirley Blakely told officers she didn't know of anyone who would target them.

A GoFundMe page at gofundme.com/funeral-arrangements-for-shirley-blakely has been set up to raise funds for funeral arrangements.

Dan Scanlan: (904) 359-4549