Justine Johnson: Michigan mom who blames Spongebob for 3-year-old daughter's murder gets life in prison
If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
IOSCO COUNTY, MICHIGAN: A drug-addict mother from Michigan has been sentenced to life in prison for killing her three-year-old daughter after being "ordered to commit the crime by a cartoon character" or facing death herself. Justine Johnson, 22, stabbed young Sutton Mosser 17 times on September 16, 2021, two days after the child’s third birthday. Her body was found stuffed in a black trash bag, at her Oscoda Township home.
Johnson pleaded guilty to one count each of first-degree felony murder and first-degree child abuse, according to The Sun. She has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In addition to that, the mother will serve a maximum of 50 years for the child abuse charge alongside the life sentence. Ryan Eberline, an investigator with Michigan Child Protective Services, testified during a preliminary hearing into the case that the 22-year-old mother had suffered hallucinations of the television character SpongeBob who instructed her to kill her daughter. If she didn't do what she did to her daughter, they would kill her. She was afraid for her life and she lost her mind," he said on October 1, 2022.
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Johnson was going through heroin withdrawals
Johnson was hallucinating "due to heroin withdrawal and not sleeping for approximately two weeks," the Iosco County court heard. Eberline also attested that she also attempted to kill herself before stabbing her daughter. The court also heard Johnson's struggles with mental health after being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, ADHD, anxiety, and depression at the early age of 13. Johnson claimed she was unaware of Sutton being in her care on the day of her death.
How was Sutton's body found?
Apparently, it was Johnson's brother who called 911 after finding his niece's foot sticking out of the trash bag on September 17, 2021. The baby girl was discovered covered in bedding and wearing a disposable diaper while her mother was located four and a half hours later around 8:30 am walking on railroad tracks in the township.
'Any mother would want justice'
Johnson pleaded guilty, vowing that she wants "justice" for her daughter. "First, I trust the police department has investigated the event to their best. Second, I lost my child and as any mother would want justice, I also want justice for Sutton. If it was me who committed this murder, I expect to be punished as any other person would be. It is what’s fair for her. I apologize to my daughter, my family, her mother, and to this court for my crime," Johnson told the court.