Johnson had been accused of murder and spent more than three years in jail before a special prosecutor appointed last year threw out that charge and issued the new accessory charge.

Johnson has always said he didn't participate in the killing of Willis, a Wilson teen who was found raped and shot to death a day after she disappeared from a shopping center.

Another man, Kenneth Meeks, has admitted that he acted alone in the crimes but initially implicated Johnson, 21, in the murder.

The accessory charge stems from a statement Johnson made to police -- that he wiped his fingerprints from Willis' SUV, which Meeks had stolen. Johnson has said he only helped because he feared for his own life.

Johnson's case has attracted attention from the state chapter of the NAACP and innocence activists. But the dropping of the most serious charges has angered Willis supporters, who had previously said little publicly about the case.

During a court hearing for Johnson this month, hundreds of supporters of Willis and her family stood in front of the Wilson Courthouse holding signs, and speaking to media about the case.

Willis supporters again showed up at the courthouse Friday night to hold a candlelight vigil in support of Willis and her family.

Efforts to reach the fathers of Willis and Johnson on Monday failed.

NAACP President William Barber II said that the support of Johnson is not meant to polarize the community.

"The Willises have been lied to and the Johnson family has been lied on," Barber said in an interview. "People want to say its about the Willises versus the Johnsons, but it's really about this rogue prosecutor who created this whole mess."

Willis' slaying in 2004 divided the town of Wilson, with some, including the NAACP, accusing Wilson prosecutor Bill Wolfe of pursuing the case against Johnson because he is black and Willis was white.

Wolfe could not be reached for comment late Monday.

Shortly before the most serious charges against Johnson were dropped, the NAACP was vocal in calling for an outside prosecutor to review Johnson's case. It filed a grievance with the State Bar against Wolfe, accusing him of prosecutorial misconduct in the case.

There was no sign of supporters from either side at the Wilson courthouse for the grand jury proceedings. But both sides have been critical of the handling of the case.

The grand jury meets in secret, and hears only the prosecutor's side of the case. Barber downplayed the indictment, saying the NAACP will continue to fight for Johnson's full exoneration.

"They indicted Darryl Hunt, Terence Garner, Alan Gell," Barber said, citing people who were exonerated. "We know that an indictment is not an indicator of guilt."

Barber said a march to protest injustice in the courts is scheduled for February in Raleigh.