Walter 'King Tut' Johnson.The Man WHo Shot And Robbed 2pac In 1995

Who is King Tut?And Why did he rob and shoot 2pac?

Walter Johnson was born in 1963 and grew up in Cypress Hills, a section of East New York, which itself is a neighborhood in the eastern section of Brooklyn, New York. Despite being raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, he began a long criminal career in Brooklyn at the age of 16. It was during this time that Johnson acquired the nickname “King Tut”. Johnson was detained by police on suspicion of robbery andupon arriving at the precint to retrieve him from police custody, Johnson’s mother was asked if he had any aliases. She replied that his nickname was “Tut”, which was entered into police records as “King Tut” by the officer. At some point, he helped to form a robbery ring, dubbed the Black Mafia,comprised of Brooklyn youth. The gang, which also included Jacques “Haitian Jack” Agnant, specifically targeted drug dealers. 

Johnson’s exploits served to inspire other local criminals as well. Fellow-Brooklynite Calvin “Calvin Klein” Bacote revealed that Johnson’s reputation spurred him to execute a particularly notorious robbery as a teenager.

At the age of 14, Bacote and other teens from his neighborhood committed an armed hold-up of several cars belonging to the F Sixth Avenue Local line, locally referred to as the F train, of the New York City Subway system. Bacote and the others robbed the passengers in the compartment they’d boarded at gunpoint and after demanding that the train riders place all of their cash and jewelry in bags, as well as beating some of the victims, the teens proceeded to make theirway to the next car and so on.

On June 23, 1982, a teenaged Johnson robbed 300 worshipers at gunpoint in his mother’s Kingdom Hall in East New York. After being arrested, he made bail and committed another armed robbery. On October 7, Johnson and four associates held 12 passengers at gunpoint aboard a city bus on the Queens to Brooklyn line and relieved them of their valuables. On August 8, 1983, Johnson was convicted of second-degree robbery for the bus hold-up and sentenced to two to six years in prison. On September 12, he was convicted of first-degree robbery for the Kingdom Hall hold-up and again sentenced to two to six years in prison. After being paroled in 1988, Johnson was convicted of criminal possession of a weapon and sentenced to four to eight years in prison.

In 1993, Johnson was charged in connection with the shooting of NYPD Officer Richard Aviles inside a Brooklyn barbershop. At about 7 p.m. on January 15, Aviles and another officer, John Morris, were in East New York, Brooklyn’s Eddie’s Unisex Barber Shop when three gunmen, including Johnson and Jerard Gary, entered in an attempt to execute a hold-up. Aviles and Morris, both off-duty,exchanged fire with the assailants, hitting Gary once in each leg and the third man in the chest. While both officers were shot in the leg, Aviles suffered a shattered hip. Both officers and Gary were taken to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center for treatment. While Aviles sustained partial paralysis, Johnson was not injured and was eventually acquitted of attempted murder. He was, however, convicted of armed robbery, for which he served one year in prison.

On November 14, 1993, Agnant, who’d befriended Tupac Shakur earlier that month, accompanied the actor and rapper to the now-defunct, upscale Manhattan nightclub Nell’s — an exclusive, celebrity-magnet that frequently turned away stars such as Don Johnson and Cher. An associate of Agnant introduced Shakur to 19-year-old Ayanna Jackson, who performed oral sex on the actor on the dance floor within half an hour following the introduction. Afterwards, Shakur invited Jackson to his suite at Manhattan’s posh Le Parker Meridiean hotel. Four days later, Jackson returned to Shakur’s suite, where Shakur; Agnant; Shakur’s road manager, Charles “Man Man” Fuller; and another man were already present.

Hours later, Jackson accused Shakur, Agnant and the others of gang-rape. Shakur, Fuller and Agnant were arrested four days later and charged with three counts of first-degree sexual abuse, sodomy, and illegal possession of a firearm. Agnant’s attorney, Paul Brenner, had his case severed from Shakur’s, and reportedly, Shakur, suspicious of Agnant’s motives, began to distance himself.

In November of 1994, while clubbing with friend and fellow-actor Mickey Rourke, Shakur voiced his concerns. He told Rourke’s friend, Daily News reporter A.J. Benza, that heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson had called him from prison to warn him about Agnant. Benza subsequently reported that Shakur also believed that Agnant had set him up.

During a studio session in Manhattan on November 30, 1994, Shakur was confronted in the lobby of the Quad Recording Studios building by threeassailants as he exited the elevator. He sustained five gunshot wounds and was relieved of $40,000 in jewelry. Shakur had been invited to the studio by James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond in order to record a song with rapper Shawn “Little Shawn” Wilkins — for whom Rosemond was acting as manager. Shakur, who was being accompanied by Randy “Stretch” Walker (Walker was shot twice in the abdomen) and his manager, Freddie Moore, when he shot, had been introduced to Rosemond by his associate, Agnant.

Shakur was scheduled to appear in court the following the day in connection to charges of weapons violations and sexual assault stemming from the incident involving Agnant. Though he was never charged, Johnson was named as a person of interest by law enforcement in connection with Shakur’s robbery. According to investigators, Johnson admitted to a confidential informant that he shot Shakur in order “to discipline him”.

On December 1, both Shakur, who appeared in court in a wheelchair and heavily bandaged, and Fuller were found guilty of two counts of sexual abuse and acquitted of the other charges. Shakur was sentenced to 18 months to 4 and one-half years in prison on February 7, 1995.

On February 21, 1995, Shakur’s song, “Dear Mama” was released while he was detained at Dannemora, New York’s Clinton Correctional Facility. Though Shakur was unable to appear in the song’s accompanying music video due to his incarceration, the clip did contain a re-enactment of his shooting at Quad Studios.

On October 24, 1996, Johnson was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court for three armed robberies spanning the previous 18 months. He was on parole for another conviction at the time of his arrest. The robbery charges were dismissed and as Johnson left the courtroom, he was arrested by U.S. Marshals and NYPD major case squad detectives.

State prosecutors dropped the charges against Johnson so that he could be tried under federal statutes. Johnson was eventually convicted and became the first New York City resident to be sentenced according to the 1994 federal three-strikes law. He was given a life term without parole, as mandated by the federal bill for three-time violent felony offenders. Johnson was sent to USP Lee (United States Penitentiary, Lee), a high-security federal prison located in Lee County, Virginia.
In the spring of 2005, Johnson was transported to MCC (Metropolitan Correctional Center) and temporarily detained in a cell next to his former partner, Jacque Agnant. He was further questioned by federal investigators for his possible role in Tupac Shakur’s shooting.
However, on June 15, 2011, an inmate at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center serving a life sentence, Dexter Isaac, confessed to being an active participant in Shakur’s 1994 robbery and shooting. Isaac’s written confession to website allhiphop.com read, in part, “In 1994, James Rosemond hired me to rob 2Pac Shakur at the Quad Studio…He gave me $2,500, plus all the jewelry I took, except for one ring, which he took for himself. Rosemond’s attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, denied his client’s involvement. The statute of limitations for the crime had expired by the time of Isaac’s admission.

Tut's Story

King Tut Johnson never thought victory could feel so empty. Just after 9am on Oct 24,1996, Johnson strode into the courthouse at 360 Adams St. in downtown Brooklyn, excited at the prospect of returing home later that day on a not-guilty verdict stemming from a robbery charge.

Though Johnson had a criminal record that one prosecuter dubbed "extraordinary"-his rap sheet included a dramatic holdup of a Jehovah Witness Hall in 1983 , also numerous acquittals in a number of shootings and robberies , including the 1993 attempted murder of a cop in a Brooklyn barbershop.

Johnson attorney had informed him that he'd have a good shot at a not-guilty verdict or even having his case dismissed. But as Johnson passed through the courthouse metal detectors and made his way to the courtroom, he was accosted by a group of men dressed in plain business like attire in the hallway. The men followed Johnson to the courtroom, where moments after the judge announced that he was dismissing the robbery case, the men in business attire promptly stepped forward and slapped handcuffs on him.

The well dressed men happened to be U.S Marshalls and King Tut was on his way to being indicted by the Feds. As he was driven to the U.S District Court in Brooklyn, Johnson started to panic; this was his first run in with the feds and his extensive criminal background made him an easy target.

Johnson's fear of a life behind federal bars increased to near parylisis when the marshals in the car accused him of shooting Tupac Shakur at Quad studios in Times Square New York in 1994 and of having murdered the rapper just six weeks earlier, on Sept 13, 1996.

"I'm screaming at them..like 'You crazy!!- I didn't do either one of them", Johnson remembers sayin. "I didn't k!ll nobody, I didn't k!ll Tupac!"

The agents wasn't buying it, in fact they were so convinced Johnson had k!lled Tupac that they asked to search his truck-which was parked in a garage near the courthouse-in hopes of finding the murder weapon.

When Johnson arrived at U.S District Court later that day, though he was only accused of a series of robberies in Brooklyn. Much to their chargin, the federal agents did not find the weapon used in the Quad shooting or Tupac's murder.

King Tut was hit with 12 federal charges stemming from three armed robberies, and not the murder of perhaps the most iconic rapper in hip hop's history, should have come as a profound relief to Johnson. But it didn't-Johnson knew that if he was convicted, he could be sentenced to life without parole under the "Three Strikes" provisioin of a federal crime bill passed by congress in 1994, which mandated a sentence of life imprisonment for violent three time federal offenders. "That was the worst day of my life" says Johnson speaking to KING MAGAZINE from the U.S  
The next day, thinigs took an even darker turn. News reports of his indictment quoted an informant whom told investigators that Johnson had called Tupac “a sucker”and bragged about shooting him at Quad, an incident that jumped started the coastal hip hop war of the mid 90’s. The New York daily news quoted the informant as saying that “Tupac was not a real gangster and that he had shot him, to discipline him”.
The feds seem to believe the informants words and the following statement was given to the Daily News by a police spokesperson , “We hope that [king tut] arrest will lead to solving the murder of Tupac Shakur”.

In spite of the fact that no evidence could be produced to solve the murder much less the shooting of Tupac in N.Y, the Daily News ran with the story under the headline: “FEDS VOW TO BURY KING TUT”.

Walter Johnson-stick up kid, alleged k!ller of tupac, has the most regal of street names, born to a brooklyn -under humble conditions. During the mid 70’s, Johnson and his friends attended hip hop block parties uptown , by the dawn of the 80’s , Johnson was drawn to the sinister side of the streets.

During this time period of the pre-guliani era, one could easily earn his stripes on the street by arming himself with a pistol and wearing a ski-mask. It was this part of street life, which Johnson relished as he commited strings of armed robberies and various street heists with ease.
“I was very angry, or you could say disturbed”, Johnson explains..”By allowing yourself to be manipulated by into situations that will affect you for your entire life, will result in lifetime reprucussions.”

Johnson’s rep became cemented in stone in 1979, when he was picked up on a charge relating to a sting of unsolved robberies. “When my mother came to get me from the precint, the police asked her..”What other name he goes by besides Walter Johnson?..she responded “Tut is his nickname”..the superior officer replied ..”King Tut?”, my mother said..”No , that is not his name”..the officer responded..”Yeah I think his name will be KING TUT..cause he’s from the county of Kings.”

With an alias given to him by an officer, King Tut lived up to his title as his “get money” schemes grew more outrageous and more frequency. On August 8, 1983, Tut robbed 6 passengers on a Queens to Brooklyn bus; a week later the hold up of a subway car full of passengers in downtown Brooklyn was attributed to Tut as well, and little more than a month later, on Sept 12th, he executed the robbery of more than 300 members of a Jehovah Witness Hall. Yet inspite of his healthy criminal spree, Tut virtually remained “untouched” with the exception foa 2 to 6 year jail sentence , in which he would eventually be parolled after just 3 years.

But in January or 1993, tut’s luck with the law would come into an abrubt end. At a Brooklyn barbershop, King Tut shot a plainsclothes officer in full crowd view with Tut’s five year old son accompanying him, the officer named Richard Aviles was partially paralyzed from the waist down, Johnson says that him and his son was ambushed by Aviles without provocation and never identified himself as a cop.

"He was dressed like a thug" , Johnson recalls, with his voice trailing off.."and he produced a weapon , ran up behind my son ..and right then all hell broke loose!".

 In spite of the broad daylight violence and life threatening injuries of the officer, a Brooklyn jury found Johnson not guilty of the crime of attempted murder, and this profoundly upset the NYPD. After serving a year for a minor armed robbery charge, King Tut vowed to his family and friends that he would leave the streets for good , as well as salvaging what little freedom he gained after surviving a firef!ght with an officer as well as beating prosecution.

To achieve his goal , King Tut like many of his street peers sought entry into the lucrative rap industry, which at the time was capitalizing off the ‘gangsta’ lifestyle in the form of “thuggary” via Tupac and big money “dons” such as Biggie.

It just so happen that King Tut would set up a meeting with one of the biggest advocates of this form of entertainment, Sean “Puffy” Combs, “I explained to Puffy that I can be very beneficial to you, you don’t even have to give me money, I have income coming in, I just need your insight”, Puff was like..”Yo I heard alot of bad things about you man, I don’t know”, Puff was told by many that I was not to be trusted and can do nothing but harm.” As the meeting was coming to a conclusion, with nothing productive seeming to come out of it, Tut made this plea..”Look if you don’t want to deal with me based on what I did to you or some people a.ssociated with you, I can respect that”..but to not deal with me just ‘based on what others might have said to you, just ain’t right!”

Puff finally was convinced, and agreed to mentor King Tut in the complexities of doing business in the hip hop world, by just following his directives. Walter “King Tut” Johnson really wanted to follow Puff’s demands, but Tut had plans of his own according to rivals of Bad Boy as well as the Feds.

Once Tupac Shakur fingerpointed King Tut and Brooklyn based manager Jimmy Rosemond in his shooting at Quad, Johnson became a certified suspect. Johnson says “Pac fingered me in the shooting, based on what people told Pac, Johnson refuses to reveal whom, all he says is that people on Rikers and the streets said it was “Tut from Cypress.” The notion that Tut was the triggerman made perfect sense to Tupac , because of an east coast cabal consisting of Puffy, Haitian Jack, Biggie and Jimmy “Henchmen” Rosemond seemed capable of conducting the attack. “Because of my a.ssociation with Puff Combs and Bad Boy”, Johnson says. For his part Henchmen denies any involvement.

When Shakur was later murdered in 1996, Tut’s name came up once again, he became a logical suspect which led to that fateful day that the marshals picked him up in a Brooklyn courtroom. Not able to present any credible evidence of Tut’s involvement in Tupac’s shooting as well as murder, the Feds alleged that he had commited three robberies back to back in 1996 against the girlfriend of a Brooklyn dope kingpin. Even though their were numerous loopholes in the robbery cases, and the fact that these robbery charges should have never gotten pass the state jurisdiction level, it raises the question:

Why were the Feds so infatuated with Tut’s alleged robbery sprees?, federal law enforcement denied comment, but Tut offers this explanation, the indictment on the robbery charges were meant to pressure Tut into directly fingering Puff Daddy in Tupac’s a.ssault and eventual murder. But instead Walter “Tut” Johnson did not cooperate with the Feds in any investigation involving Puff Daddy.

It is likely that as a result of resisting pressure from the Feds by refusing to comply with the Feds demands, Walter “Tut’ Johnson was the first New York resident to be sentenced with life without parole under the newly written “Three Strikes’ provision.

Although it has been a decade since Tupac’s murder and nine years since Tut’s federal indictment, the ghosts of both events still haunt Johnson and Hip Hhop as a whole. TUPAC’S controversial take on the matter “Against All Odds” off the Makavelli L.P includes the line: “Gun shots to Tut, now you stuck!” and 50 CENT kept tut’s name in the game with the verse on “MANY MEN”: “Feds ain’t no jack when Pac got shot, I got a kite from the pen saying Tut got knocked.”

Johnson is now currently serving his life sentence in Jonesville , Va and he confirms to KING that as both New York Magazine and Newsweek have speculated that he is at the center of a renewed investigation by the U.S ATTORNEY’s office in New York regarding the shooting as well as slaying of Tupac Shakur. Johnson says that in the spring of 2005, he was moved by the Feds from Jonesville prison to the Metropolitan Corrctional Center (MCC) in downtown Manhattan next to a cell containing Jacques “Haitian Jack” Agnant for intense questioning.

Johnson says that in spite of that he is working with tupac’s father , Mutulu Shakur and Shakur’s private investigator Watani Tyehembia in their own investigation of the murder of Tupac shakur, Tyehembia confirms that Tut has cooperated.

King Tut isn’t surprised why many of Tupac’s fans are wary of his motives in helping to solve the murder of Tupac, “I can understand why pac fans would not like me and I respect their loyalty to him”…”But I want them to know I definitely had nothing to with his attempted murder nor his a.ssassination, it is very important that they know that this situation is MORE COMPLICATED THAN THEY WOULD EVER BELIEVE, if you look at this case you will find numerous lies , inconsisticies and more importantly cover-ups and smoke screens!”

“If i’m wrong prosecute me to the fullest degree, but if I’m innocent let me go, even though i was a bad guy in my younger years, i didn't do this, and i don't deserve to be here for this!"