That is what defense attorney Linden Lindahl told a Fresno judge on Thursday.
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"Your honor, my client shows no remorse because, in his heart of hearts, he was defending people," Lindahl said. "He had no malice."
In May, a jury convicted Caradine of 2nd-degree murder, saying he was responsible for killing the 31-year-old Johnson at the Soul Brothers Motorcycle clubhouse in 2022.
Amid a crowd of about 200 people, the two men got into a gun battle. Bullets flew back and forth, killing Johnson and putting two others in the hospital.
Over a year later, Caradine was back in court on Thursday to learn his sentence.
"Probation is denied, and the defendant is committed to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for the indeterminate term of 15 years to life, enhanced by the indeterminate term of 25 years to life," Fresno County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Gaab said.
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That 40-year to life in prison sentence came down after a last-ditch effort by Caradine's attorney to get a new trial.
In a court filing, Lindahl listed a slew of issues, from a verdict that contradicts the evidence, witness intimidation, and even a juror he says was nodding off during trial.
But Gaab was not having it. She denied the motion and asked to hear from the victim's family.
"DJ was a true staple of love," Johnson's oldest sister asked. "He left a mark on this world that will be remembered for years. My brother was a protector of our family and his children."
As two of Johnson's sisters spoke, Caradine sat shackled in his red prison jumpsuit. At times, he seemed to look back and even smirked at the victim's family.
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When it was time for the defense to speak, Lindahl tried defending his client one last time.
"Darnell Johnson made the choice to pull out a gun on a group of people," Lindahl said. "And had he been a little bit faster, Mr. Johnson would have been the one on trial for murder."
Gaab pushed back on that comment and said surveillance video clearly showed Johnson was backing away when Caradine shot him.
Caradine's attorney told Action News he plans to appeal.
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