Johnny Lee Levitt was 33 years old when he was murdered. His body was found in a driveway in Fulton County, Georgia, five decades ago, and the person responsible for his death has yet to be brought to justice.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 18, 1973, law enforcement officers responded to a call about a deceased person in the driveway of a home in the 900 block of Blue Ridge Avenue NE in Atlanta.
The homeowner who called 911 told authorities that when he returned home around 1:20 p.m., he found the victim laying face down, clutching a .22 caliber automatic pistol in his hand.
He said he didn’t know the victim, who was later identified as Levitt, of an unknown address, and he died from a gunshot wound to the back.
A neighbor down the street said she recognized him as the man who entered her house without her consent the previous morning.
According to The Atlanta Constitution, the woman went to her kitchen around 1:30 a.m. and saw him standing there. To prevent her from screaming, he choked her, but the chaos woke up her husband and son.
They chased him out of the house.
Levitt had a criminal record. He had been charged with burglary and assault with intent to murder.
Sgt. Berlyn Compton said, “We are considering the possibility that Levitt may have been shot by a private citizen in the area, as he may have been attempting an illegal entry.”
Anyone with information regarding the unsolved murder of Johnny Levitt is encouraged to contact the Atlanta Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at (404) 546-4236.