HONOLULU (KHON2) — The sentencing phase of the court martial hearing for Army Pfc. Dewayne Johnson took place on June 4, with the session containing emotional testimony.
The phase follows Johnson’s guilty plea to two counts of voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice and providing false statements in the brutal killing of his pregnant wife, 19-year-old Mischa Johnson.
Cameras were not allowed in the military courtroom, but Johnson shed tears several times, unlike his previous hearing where he was mostly emotionless.
Mischa’s mother, Francis, testified about the unbearable pain of the loss of her youngest daughter and how she felt betrayed by Johnson, who she said she trusted and loved as a son.
Johnson also wiped tears away from his face during Mischa’s sister’s testimony, where she called the victim her “best friend,” and highlighted the anguish brought by her little sister’s death.
As part of the plea deal, Johnson admitted to using a machete during an argument to strike Mischa on the head, where he then dismembered and disposed of her remains. In exchange, his charge was reduced to voluntary manslaughter.
Johnson’s family testified by phone from Maryland, where his father and brothers described him as a quiet, caring boy in a “faith based family.”
In his address to the court, Johnson apologized to Mischa’s family, as well as his own, saying he “failed as a husband, father and as a man.”
One shocking twist in the hearing was when the prosecution brought in a military investigator, who testified that within days of his wife’s death, Johnson had created several profiles on social media and dating sites that included videos and photos of him being intimate with other women.
The government is asking for the maximum sentence of 23 years in prison, with the defense asking for the minimum of 18 years. The judge will make her decision on Johnson’s sentence on June 5.