About

Carleton Elijah Johnson, known as Carlton Johnson, is an American former professional football defensive back and convicted murderer. He played four seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Las Vegas Sting, Anaheim Piranhas, and Albany Firebirds, and two seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Shreveport Pirates. He played college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he was a two-time first-team All-Big West Conference selection. He joined the AFL in 1994 and earned first-team All-Arena honors during his rookie season. After two years as a starter in the CFL, Johnson returned to the AFL in 1996 and garnered second-team All-Arena recognition. His pro football career was plagued by injuries. He had left knee injuries for three straight years from 1995 to 1997 and suffered a career-ending spinal injury in 1998. In 2007, Johnson was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison for killing three of his family members.