Deddrick Amerson found guilty of murder for 2022 stabbing, sentenced to 25 years

A Travis County jury has found Deddrick Amerson, 46, guilty of murder for the 2022 stabbing death of Edarius Dremar Johnson, 37, in downtown Austin.

The trial began Monday, and the jury returned a guilty verdict Wednesday. Amerson was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

On the night of July 21, 2022, police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a man screaming at the intersection of East 12th and Red River streets. According to Amerson's arrest affidavit, officers found Johnson at the intersection suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at Dell Seton Medical Center.

Police investigators followed a blood trail from the scene of the crime through an alley and to a tent behind the Brick Oven restaurant, the affidavit said. Police found two knives and a knife sheath inside the tent. Through interviews with a member of the Homeless Outreach Street Team and people experiencing homelessness in the area, investigators determined that the tent belonged to Amerson, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit also reported that a witness to the stabbing eventually came forward to police, explaining that he had been reluctant to speak out of fear of retaliation. A witness tampering charge against Amerson was dismissed.

A warrant for Amerson's arrest was issued in July 2022, and he was taken into custody in October 2022.

Travis County District Attorney José Garza and Amerson's lawyer, Robb Shepherd, did not immediately return requests for comment Thursday.