Woman found guilty in slaying of RIT professor

A state Supreme Court jury has found Natalie Johnson guilty of two counts of second-degree murder for her role in the February slaying of Rochester Institute of Technology instructor Edline Chun.

On Monday, Johnson was convicted of entering Chun's Hazelwood Terrace home on Feb. 3 or Feb. 4, and robbing her and shooting her twice in the head. Her boyfriend and alleged accomplice Jerrell Henry is being tried separately.

"Natalie Johnson had no feud with the victim—no negative interactions, no vendetta. Ms. Chun was simply murdered for her possessions," said Perry Duckles, chief of the Monroe County District Attorney's Office Major Felony Bureau, who with and Assistant District Attorney James Egan prosecuted the case.

Chun's body was discovered in a ravine in Tryon Park three days later by Monroe County Water Authority employees. Police arrested Johnson and Henry the following day, when Henry was discovered with Chun's car.

"It was in many ways the definition of a cold-blooded crime, and I believe that this conviction was both just, and necessary, to protect the community," said Duckles.

Henry is charged with first-degree murder. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His trial begins Dec. 3.

Johnson faces 15 years to life and 25 years to life in prison when she is sentenced before state Supreme Court Justice Francis Affronti on Dec. 3.