Jonesboro family 'just miserable, devastated' over deadly stabbing of father

JONESBORO, Ga. - A Clayton County family is devastated after their loved one was stabbed to death.

Ali Johnson’s family says they want everyone to know the 44-year-old was loved. They say he was a son, a father, and brother who cherished life.

His mother is heartbroken.

"Just miserable, devastated. It is like a dream," mother Claudis Barrett said.

Barrett says this dream is more like a nightmare. She is still in disbelief that her son is gone.

Clayton County Police say he was stabbed to death last Wednesday night on North Main Street in Jonesboro. However, Barrett and his family didn’t learn about the fatal stabbing until they ran into his friends 4 days later.

"We asked a couple of his friends have you seen Ali, and they said, ‘Didn’t you hear?’ I said, ‘Hear what?’ and they hit me with a ton of bricks, and said, ‘Your son is dead,’" his mother wept as she relayed the story.

Barrett said her son, who loved to walk, had no identification on him the day he was killed and police mistakenly thought he was homeless. She said he was disabled after a traumatic attack with a pipe earlier in life that is why the family moved to Georgia from New York.

"He was attacked with a pipe for his jewelry and money. So, we moved to Georgia to escape that," his mom shared.

Ali’s daughters Destiny and Ellisa are taking it hard.

"My dad, that he was funny," daughter Ellis sobbed.

The Clayton County Police Department has released video of Lloyd Lee Brown’s arrest. Investigators say he tried to stab several others that night.

Lloyd Lee Brown (Credit: Clayton County Police Department)

The Johnson family says their challenge now is to find money to bury an innocent soul.

"Wonderful, funny, just full of love and hope," his mom shared.

The Johnson family says they were not prepared for this financial hardship of burying Ali. They are asking anyone who is able to assist, to do so. They have set up a GoFundMe account to help offset the cost.