For the week of November 5 - 11, 2003

16-year-old charged with murder of parents

Sarah Johnson enters not guilty pleas

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

Following a two-month investigation, Blaine County law enforcement officers on Wednesday, Oct. 29, arrested Sarah M. Johnson, 16, and charged her as an adult for the Sept. 2 murders of her parents, Alan and Diane Johnson of Bellevue.

Sarah Johnson entered two pleas of not guilty in 5th District Court in Hailey on Monday to allegations that she murdered her parents Sept. 2. Express photos by Willy Cook

Though she is charged with two counts of first degree murder, which is punishable by 10 years to life in prison, or by death, Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney Jim Thomas said he would not seek the death penalty should she be convicted.

"I have elected not to pursue imposition of the highest penalty for these murders," Thomas said. "Justice can be served with punishment other than death."

Johnson is incarcerated at the Blaine County Jail in Hailey. Bail was set at $2 million.

On Monday, Nov. 3, in 5th District Court in Hailey, Johnson entered pleas of not guilty on both counts of murder in the first degree. Judge James May conditionally scheduled a trial for Feb. 10, 2004, but Thomas and Johnson’s attorney, Public Defender Bob Pangburn, agreed that may be too soon for all parties involved to review all of the evidence involved in the case.

BOB PANGBURN,
Defense attorney

In an interview following the 9 a.m. hearing, Pangburn said he is uncertain that Johnson can receive a fair trail in Blaine County. He also said he will ask the judge to enact a gag order to limit information issued by lawyers and law enforcement officers involved in the case.

Publicity "could affect and probably already has affected Ms. Johnson’s right to a fair trial," he said. "We have seen that from the Sheriff’s Office, and I think we need to put a stop to it."

As for the case against Johnson, Pangburn appeared optimistic.

"From what I’ve seen so far, it looks like a very tryable case," he said.

The news of Johnson’s arrest was issued at a press conference at the Old Blaine County Courthouse in Hailey on Thursday, Oct. 30, where nearly 70 members of the media, courthouse employees and law enforcement officers gathered.

At the press conference, authorities said they believe the 16-year-old acted out of revenge when her parents forbid her from seeing her fiancé, 19-year-old Hailey resident Bruno Santos.

Santos was deported to Mexico on Sept. 12 but, as a result of the murder investigation, he was brought back to Blaine County to testify as a witness in the case, said Blaine County Sheriff Walt Femling.

"He is considered a material witness to this case, and he testified to the grand jury," said Femling. "I can’t release what he may or may not know as a witness in this case."

Santos is not considered a suspect or conspirator in the murders but was one of five "people of interest" previously under investigation, Femling added.

Earlier on Oct. 30, Johnson was arraigned in 5th District Court, and Pangburn was appointed as her public defender. Monday was Johnson’s first appearance with her attorney.

WALT FEMLING,
Blaine County sheriff

On Tuesday and Wednesday preceding her arrest, a 16-member grand jury indicted the teenager for the murders, Femling said. Johnson, who was living with her mother’s sister in Caldwell for the last two months, was arrested at 8:20 p.m. following the indictment.

Femling said the teenager seemed "upset, angry, defiant" upon her arrest.

"She didn’t say much," he said.

Femling said that, though the investigation is not yet concluded, waiting for an arrest was difficult for the Johnson family and for residents of Blaine County.

"I know it’s been a long eight weeks, a lot of painful weeks for the Johnson family," he said. "And it’s been hard for the residents of this community as well."

According to Femling, the events of Sept. 2 allegedly unfolded as follows:

Sometime after 6 a.m., Diane Johnson died of a single gunshot wound to the head while she was in bed. A second shot killed Alan Johnson while he was in the couple’s bathroom. Sarah Johnson fled the scene, going to a neighbor’s home.

The Johnsons’ home, at 1193 Glen Aspen Drive in Bellevue, has a detached garage with a rented apartment. Sarah Johnson had a key to the apartment, where a Winchester .264 rifle and ammunition were stored.

Femling said. authorities believe that "Shortly after her dad entered the shower, she went into her parents’ room and shot her mother and then her father."

Upon arriving at the crime scene, authorities sent a garbage truck away before searching the garbage cans that had been set out for the morning’s curbside pickup. Femling said authorities found a blood-soaked bathrobe, a latex glove and a cloth glove in one of the trash cans.

Femling said crime lab research concluded that Sarah Johnson’s DNA was in the right hand latex glove and that Diane Johnson’s blood was on the bathrobe,

The DNA analysis of the glove was the crux piece of information authorities were waiting for during the last two months, Femling said.

As for a motive, Femling highlighted a theory:

Johnson did not return home on Friday, Aug. 29, and on Aug. 30 her parents eventually found her at her fiancé’s apartment, he said.

"They discovered that she had become engaged to him on Friday night," Femling said. "As the family dealt with this over the weekend, one of the resolutions was to get law enforcement involved. We believe that this incident, that she was about to lose her boyfriend, was a contributing factor."

Femling said law enforcement officers obtained a detention warrant for Johnson on the day of the murders and took fingerprints and hair and blood samples. Femling said they also discovered a bruise on her left shoulder, which could have been caused by the recoil from a rifle.

In a follow-up interview, Femling said Johnson claims to be ambidextrous. Backing up her assertion, he said she writes with her right hand, but spikes a volleyball with her left.

For his part, Bellevue Marshall Randy Tremble stressed the cooperation among law enforcement agencies that was required to pull the case together.

"The cornerstone of our success has been and will continue to be our collaboration," Tremble said.

Femling said there is a lot of information yet to process in the ongoing investigation. Investigators have interviewed "probably 50 or 60 people Sarah’s age and more than 100 people total" in conjunction with the investigation, and collected more than 200 pieces of evidence.

"We still have evidence to process and much work to do in this case," he said.

As for the toll the case has taken on law enforcement personnel, Femling was blunt.

"It’s been extremely tough for everybody," he said. "Going through the emotions of the shock for everybody—we knew the Johnsons. It’s been an extremely difficult case, very emotional for everybody involved."

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