A 34-year-old Louisiana man, Earl Lee Johnson, was found guilty of the 2022 violent murder of Janice David. He beat and stabbed her before he set a car on fire while she was still inside, all while livestreaming on Facebook.
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As reported by WAFB, Johnson was found guilty of first-degree murder after the jury deliberated for over an hour, following a five-day trial.
“In the video, he told you exactly what he was doing, and he did it in front of you, and he wanted to do it that way, but that doesn’t mean that he is insane,” prosecutor Dana Cummings said in court. “You saw him killing Janice David. I did not create this evidence; he did. And he wanted everyone to see it because he wanted to be famous.”
Cummings added that Johnson allegedly said, “She was going to say I raped her, they’re going to believe her over me. If I’m going down, I’m going to live forever.”
Brutal Murder
According to a press release issued by the Baton Rouge Police Department, the incident occurred on April 18, 2022. At around 9:52 p.m., Janice David was found deceased inside a vehicle. She was beaten and stabbed to death, and the vehicle was subsequently set on fire with her inside.
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office learned from the Louisiana State Police that a Facebook Live video showed a male stabbing a female. Deputies then notified the BRPD, which led to the gruesome finding.
Unbeknownst to the BRPD, they already had the suspect in custody. Hours before her body was discovered, police arrested Earl Lee Johnson, as he was involved in a vehicle theft. He was charged with theft of a motor vehicle and aggravated flight from an officer. However, when he was identified as David’s killer, he was charged with first-degree murder.
Johnson’s defense argued in court that their client was not in his right mind during David’s violent murder. They stated that he had consumed drugs uninterruptedly for days, leading to the killing. WAFB cited court documents that detailed that Johnson was hearing voices, which led to his being prescribed lorazepam.
Earl Lee Johnson will be sentenced on December 10.