St. Paul man found guilty of fatally shooting his pregnant girlfriend

Deanna Weniger, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read

Jul. 29—The St. Paul man was convicted of second-degree murder Monday for fatally shooting his pregnant girlfriend in 2020.

A Ramsey County jury found Clinton Roosevelt Delaney, 29, guilty in the shooting death of Ashli K. Johnson, 29. She was about one month pregnant with Delaney's child.

"It was difficult," said Ginnie Williams, Johnson's mother, who lives in Louisiana. "When they showed a picture of my daughter laying on a gurney, I lost it."

She said she will not feel justice has been done for her daughter until Delaney is sentenced.

Johnson left behind four children who are being cared for by other family members.

According to the police investigation, Delaney was upset over the pregnancy and the drama it was causing between him and his girlfriend with whom he has a pre-school-aged child.

A week after Johnson's death, a police investigator got a call from someone who had been at the residence with Delaney the night of the shooting who told authorities he overheard Delaney telling someone else at the house that night that he had "f-ed up" and shot Johnson, adding that he was mad at her for "messing things up with his baby mama," and that she might be pregnant with his child, charges said.

The prosecution sought to protect the identity of this witness, but was eventually ordered to disclose the informant's name to the defense.

Johnson was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside a vehicle at Hall Avenue and West Stevens Street about 10 minutes before 3 a.m. June 3, 2020. Her vehicle, which was still in drive, had bullet holes on the passenger side and its windows were broken. Johnson had her foot on the brake.

Delaney's criminal record includes past convictions for domestic assault, felony-level theft and a felony-level conviction for violating a no-contact order in 2016.

Delaney will be sentenced at 9 a.m. Sept. 30 at the Ramsey County Courthouse.

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