OBERLIN — The second-degree murder trial of an Oakdale man accused of fatally shooting his grandfather is expected to continue Tuesday in 33rd Judicial District Court.

Plans to complete the testimony portion of Laken Johnson’s bench trial Friday were abruptly changed late Thursday after a witness was hospitalized.

Defense attorney David Deshotels is expected to call more witnesses when the trial resumes at 1 p.m.

Prosecutors could also call rebuttal witnesses before completing the case against Johnson, who is accused of killing his 64-year-old grandfather, Norman Ray Johnson Sr., last November.

Johnson waived his right to a jury trial, leaving his fate up to Judge Joel Davis. Johnson faces life imprisonment if found guilty of the Nov. 4, 2013, murder of his grandfather, whom he called Paw.

Johnson repeatedly told investigators someone else killed his grandfather, but later confessed to the shooting, saying it was an accident. He led police to a wooded area where he hid the shotgun before fleeing the home in his grandfather’s truck.

Prosecutors contend Johnson intended to kill his grandfather and took more than $12,000 from the home so he could go meet a young lady from the Houston area who he had been communicating with online.

Testimony from B.W. Angel II, an information technology technician with the Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office, said phone records show Johnson called Amanda Avalos of Magnolia, Texas, five times on the night of this grandfather’s death. The first called occurred 30 minutes after the shooting, he said.

Avalos testified that she and Johnson spoke twice on the night of the shooting and that he seemed nervous. She said Johnson asked if he could stay with her for a couple of days, but she told him that was not a good idea.

Although prosecutors say Johnson planned the shooting by asking his grandfather to leave the shotgun out the night before, the defense contends others had recently threatened to kill the elder Johnson.

The Rev. Jackie Bond of Zion Baptist Church testified that Laken Johnson had told him “they were going to kill Paw” and that he had to make up his mind what side he was on.

He said Laken and his grandfather both laughed at it, saying they could take care of themselves.

Bond said Johnson never clarified who “they” were, but he assumed it was Norman Johnson’s older children, with whom he had a strained relationship.

Laken’s father and Norman Ray Johnson’s son, Willie Johnson, said his sister, Amanda, and brother, Roy, did not get along with his father and often had altercations with him. The last one he witnessed occurred at his father’s house just days before his death, he said.

“They don’t get along,” Willie Johnson said. “I’ve seen them fight my father several times over the years. I’ve seen them threaten my father’s life.”

Willie Johnson also testified that his son had told him “Uncle Roy” had threatened to kill his grandfather. He said he didn’t think much of the statement.

“He threatens me too, and I ain’t dead,” Willie Johnson said.

Laken Johnson also testified about frequent fights and threats among his aunt, uncle and grandfather. The most recent incident occurred about a month before the shooting, he said.

He recounted telling his pastor about the threats one evening after church services.(MGNonline)