A Toledo man convicted last week of murder in the September deaths of Tammy Cappelletty and Juan Ybarra was sentenced in Lucas County Common Pleas Court this afternoon to life in prison.

Tyrone Johnson, 28, of 11 East Park St., was convicted by a jury on two counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated robbery, each with a gun specification.

Judge James Jensen sentenced Johnson to life in prison with eligibility for parole after 20 years for each of the murder charges. The sentences are to be served consecutively. Additionally, Johnson will serve a concurrent 10-year sentence for the robbery charge plus an additional three years for the gun specification.

He will spend at least 43 years behind bars.

A jury found Johnson guilty on all charges after a week-long trial. He was charged with the Sept. 19 shooting Ms. Cappelletty and Mr. Ybarra during a drug deal. A key witness and former co-defendant, Latrel Brown, testified that he, Johnson, and Mr. Ybarra were engaged in a drug transaction when Johnson pulled out a gun and shot Mr. Ybarra and Ms Cappelletty, who was driving the car.

Johnson has maintained that it was Brown who fired the fatal shots. Brown, who pleaded Jan. 30 to one count of aggravated robbery with a gun specification for his role, will be sentenced Friday.

Read more in later editions of The Blade and toledoblade.com.

First Published May 29, 2007, 10:15 p.m.