Murder victim’s partner sues North Myrtle Beach restaurant. Claims he was ‘hunted’
A Conway man was murdered in 2022 by his co-worker at a North Myrtle Beach restaurant. Now, his partner is suing the establishment and 10 others she believes could have prevented his death.
Quentin Johnson, 26, was shot and killed at his workplace, Nacho Hippo, by Lafredia Todd on July 28, 2022. Todd was sentenced in January to 36 years in prison for the murder and five years for possession of a weapon during the crime. In a 17-page lawsuit filed last week, Johnson’s girlfriend, Latoya Willard, asserts that the restaurant and its ownership, as well as 10 “John Does” were negligent, leading to Johnson’s wrongful death in what attorneys say was a planned murder.
The Nacho Hippo director of operations did not respond immediately for comment. The law firms involved in filing the lawsuit also did not respond immediately for comment.
The negligence and wrongful death lawsuit claims that Todd was known for her temper and its impacts on her behavior. It states that Todd often became aggressive with staff at Nacho Hippo, getting into arguments and throwing things.
The suit document describes Todd as exhibiting “confrontational,” “violent” and “anti-social” behavior.
While others at the restaurant were aware of Todd’s aggressive inclinations, Johnson had only been working at the establishment for 12 days, and was unaware of this side of his coworker before the shooting took place, the lawsuit says.
During Todd’s trial, her attorneys argued that she feared for her life the night she shot Johnson, and had fired the gun in self-defense, The Sun News previously reported. Todd claimed that Johnson had repeatedly threatened her, and that one of the threats occurred on the night of the shooting.
There was a three-day hearing before the start of the January trial over a “Stand Your Ground” motion, but the judge did not ultimately grant Todd immunity for the motion.
On the night of the shooting, Todd clocked out at 9:53 p.m. but remained at Nacho Hippo for about an hour afterward, retrieving a gun and firing it into the parking lot. The lawsuit alleges that Todd “lied in wait in the manager’s office” where she began to “hunt” Johnson, observing him on the security cameras and “planning his killing in cold blood.” She then exited the office to shoot Johnson while his back was turned, it continues.
Throughout this process, the lawsuit claims that nobody at the restaurant took action to remove Todd from the premises. It states that she was also not prevented from accessing and remaining in the manager’s office “despite being an off-duty employee and having exhibited aggressive and violent behavior.”
