A Baltimore woman has been sentenced to 50 years in jail for the killings of her niece and nephew, whose bodies were found decomposed in her car trunk.
On Monday, February 10, Nicole Johnson was sentenced for the deaths of seven-year-old Joshlyn Johnson, and Larry Darnell O’Neil III, five, which unfolded back in May 2020 and June 2021 respectively.
According to the Baltimore Sun, the bodies of the half-siblings were discovered inside Johnson’s trunk a week prior to Larry’s sixth birthday in July 2021 during a routine traffic stop in Essex, Maryland.
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The officer on duty noticed a stench of decomposition and saw maggots inside a bag in Johnson’s car after she was stopped by police, as per CBS News.
He then decided to search the entire vehicle and intriguingly found one of the children’s bodies after taking off a blanket.
The body of Johnson’s niece was discovered in a suitcase while Larry’s was found in a plastic bag.
Police say the seven-year-old was likely dead for a year, as per charging documents.
The bodies of both children reportedly weighed not more than 39 pounds, and police struggled to comprehend the motive behind Johnson’s actions.
Since 2019, Johnson has been taking care of the children when the kid’s mom, Dachelle Johnson, moved them to Baltimore from Dayton, Ohio.
Dachelle relied on her sister to look after her kids anytime she felt she would be unable to.
Court documents indicate that Dachelle said she tried to get her children back, yet Johnson deliberately turned a deaf ear to her request.
Later in March 2021, she reportedly asked to meet her and hand over her kids, but Johnson didn’t bother to show up.
Dachelle anxiously waited for Johnson’s call but it never came. She was contacted by detectives weeks later in 2021 and was told that her children had died, as per The Sun.
Johnson and the children were staying at the Regal Inn in Rosedale when Joshlyn died.
Nicole Johnson told police she once became furious at Joshlyn in May 2020 and hit her many times, leading the girl to suffer a head injury as her face hit the floor.
After Johnson realized Joshlyn had died, she placed her niece in a suitcase and put the body in her trunk, as per The Sun.
A few months later, Larry died before the traffic stop.
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His aunt stated to investigators the boy had told her he was tired and had to lie down but never woke up.
His body was found with a wound to his left leg but Johnson did not want to explain how that came forth.
She then placed the little boy’s body in a tote and put it next to his sister.
After Dachelle moved to Maryland, her family in Dayton grew distant, Larry’s grandmother, LaQuata M. Pitts O’Neil, told The Sun.
They once received photos and occasional video calls but the relationship faded. The family pleaded with Dachelle to move back to Ohio to offer her support but were unaware that the children were under the care of Johnson.
They later learned of their grandchildren’s death through a Facebook post, Pitts O’Neil told The Sun.
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‘I never thought in a million years they would end up dead,’ O’Neil said.
