A convicted killer has avoided possible execution by pleading guilty to a second murder that happened in Birmingham nearly four years ago.

John David Johnson, 58, was charged with capital murder in the shooting death of 41-year-old Robert Jonathan Roy, who was killed May 27, 2021, at the Chevron on Ensley Avenue.

Johnson, who also pleaded guilty to a reduced murder charge in 1993, on Wednesday pleaded guilty in Roy’s slaying before Jefferson County Circuit Judge Kandice Pickett.

The plea came after years of Johnson undergoing evaluation on whether he was mentally competent to stand trial, which the judge last month ruled that he was competent, court records show.

Johnson also entered guilty pleas to being a felon in possession of a firearm and to discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling in an unrelated case.

Pickett sentenced Johnson to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the murder conviction, and to 20 years on the other two cases.

The case was prosecuted by Jefferson County Chief Deputy District Attorney Joe Roberts. Johnson was represented by attorneys Maston Evans and Julian Hendrix.

Had the case gone to trial, prosecutors would have sought the death penalty.

“The family of Jonathan Roy is satisfied that this defendant admitted his guilty and will serve a life sentenced for the murder of their son Jonathan,‘’ Roberts said. “This process has taken almost four years and they are thankful that there is finally a resolution.”

Roy was shot that Thursday at 8:57 a.m. at Chevron at 2301 Ensley Avenue. He was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:18 a.m. the following day.

Police said the shooting happened during a theft in which Roy was the victim.

Investigators obtained the warrant against Johnson the following month and began searching for him.

He was taken into custody in July 2021 when a West Precinct officer on patrol spotted Johnson.

The following year, records show, Johnson applied for a mental evaluation, which was granted. An Alabama Department of Mental Health psychologist recommended he be admitted to Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility, which he was.

In March, a competency hearing was held before Pickett, who deemed him competent to stand trial.

Court records show Johnson was arrested on a charge of capital murder in the December 1990 shooting death of a man named Wilbert Witcher Jr. That deadly shooting also happened during a theft in Birmingham, court records show.

In 1993, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. It wasn’t immediately clear when he was released from the Alabama Department of Corrections the first time.

Johnson remains held in the Jefferson County Jail awaiting transfer to the Alabama Department of Corrections.