A man who rose to internet fame as “America’s Kindest Husband” has fallen under suspicion of killing his wife after being found guilty of a shocking child sex crime.
Timothy Murphy Johnson, 40, won praise on social media in 2015 when his wife Molly shared a sweet message he had left for her on their bedroom mirror, titled: “Reasons why I love my wife.”
Her list included Molly being her “best friend” and “never giving up on myself,” along with more unorthodox praise like “she’s been to the strip club with me.”
Molly died two years later of an apparent suicide caused by an overdose, however her friends and family told her The times They now suspect Murphy-Johnson of killing his wife, drawing parallels between how she died and the sickening way he kidnapped a 16-year-old girl last year.
Timothy Murphy Johnson, 40, who was dubbed ‘America’s Kindest Husband’ in 2015 for a sweet message he left his wife Molly (pictured), is now suspected of having something to do with her death. in 2017.
Molly shared a sweet message her husband left her on her mirror on social media site Imgur in 2015, titled: ‘Reasons Why I Love My Wife.’
Prosecutors said Murphy-Johnson, along with his girlfriend Olivia Ashford Henn, 21, kidnapped a 16-year-old girl in early June 2023 and held her captive for more than six weeks.
Throughout her ordeal, Murphy-Johnson tied her naked to a bed, cut her with a knife and forced her to take drug overdoses, all of which was filmed by the former “kindest husband in America.”
After Murphy-Johnson received a life sentence this year, his ex-wife’s loved ones said they came to question whether Molly had really committed suicide.
They told The Times that despite the sweet message he had left for Molly on her mirror, she was known to be trapped in an abusive marriage and often said Murphy-Johnson beat her, raped her and threatened to kill her.
Murphy-Johnson was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year after kidnapping a 16-year-old girl and holding her captive for more than six weeks, subjecting her to sickening abuse that included sexual assault and drug overdoses.
His girlfriend Olivia Henn, 21, (pictured) was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the crime, while Murphy-Johnson was sentenced to life in prison.
She had confided in friends that her husband had forced her into prostitution and raped her, and even claimed in a court filing that he threatened to kill her with a drug overdose and make it look like a suicide.
One of Molly’s childhood friends, Anna-Marie Anderson, told the outlet: “I think Tim provided her with drugs or forced her to take them.
“She was brilliant, very educated in medicine and drugs and, in my opinion, she would not end up like this.”
In messages sent to friends uncovered in the investigation, Molly said she was planning to divorce her husband but was “afraid” of him and often sent photos of her bruises to her friends.
In one of the messages, she said: “He (Murphy-Johnson) just offered me a drug that will kill me so I can get this over with… I guess I’ll make it easier on both of us.”
In messages sent to friends uncovered in the investigation, Molly said she was planning to divorce her husband but was “scared” of him and often sent photos of her bruises to her friends.
Molly’s family said she was “brilliant” and very intelligent, but she became trapped in an allegedly abusive marriage that ended in her tragic overdose.
The couple met on dating website OK Cupid in 2012, and Molly abandoned her plans to study for a master’s degree to join Murphy-Johnson in San Francisco soon after, when she got a new job.
Molly’s father, Bob Gelman, said his daughter called him twice to “rescue” her after the move, but said “it was around that time that Tim proposed to Molly.”
‘Molly had to pay for her own ring, which Tim kept. I suggested they wait at least a full year before getting married, given the history of their relationship. “They ran away a few months later,” he said.
When they moved to Los Angeles, Gelman said he discovered that Molly had “checked into a mental hospital to get away” from her husband, but his hopes that she would leave their marriage were short-lived.
“Unfortunately, Tim managed to sweetly convince her to come back to him,” she said.
Shortly afterward he said, “Molly had to quit her job due to visible cuts and bruises on her body,” and said he “was pimping her, making her have sex with other men for money.”
In their investigation into her death, Molly’s friends said they discovered explicit images of her on adult websites such as Pornhub, where she was advertised as an “escort” and described as a “naughty nerd.”
Murphy-Johnson was a successful computer programmer who wrote software still used in game production, but he was fired from his company for “repeated performance problems, behavioral problems, and attendance problems.”
With her suicide now under scrutiny, Molly’s loved ones unearthed her court documents against her husband, where she claimed he “threatened to kill me (and make it look like a suicide”).
Aside from his former Internet fame as America’s “kindest husband,” Murphy-Johnson was known as a successful computer programmer.
He was just 16 when he founded his own company, Artificial Studios, and went on to play a leading role in developing 3D features in games with his Reality Engine software.
He moved to the United States when Epic Games bought Artificial Studios, but the company fired him for “repeated performance issues, behavioral issues, and attendance issues.”
During their troubled marriage, Molly allegedly told friends that her husband developed a crippling addiction to opioids that caused him to “lose his mind.”
Just seven months after Molly’s mirror image went viral, she filed for a restraining order against her husband, claiming he “threatened to kill me (and make it look like a suicide”).
“(Murphy-Johnson) physically assaulted me by kicking my back/stomach, hitting my head/arms, pushing me down, and stealing my purse, money, and phone to prevent me from escaping,” she said in her filing.
Gelman said her daughter soon “begged me” to rescue her, but she withdrew her request in August 2017. In November of that year, she had her last conversation with her.
“I received a call from him a few days later. She was back with Tim. He had her in psychiatric hospitals in Los Angeles. “He said he needed me to send him $20,000 for his hospital bills,” she said.
“I never got to see or talk to Molly again.”
Murphy-Johnson’s relatives said his marriage to Molly was a “chaos” but denied they believe he killed her, describing it as “a sad, toxic mess.”
Molly was found dead in her bed on the morning of December 16, 2017, however, Gelman said her son-in-law did not tell her that her daughter passed away and that she only later found out from Molly’s ex-boyfriend.
‘Tim tried to cremate her immediately. I insisted that an autopsy be done,” Gelman told the Times. ‘She was eventually cremated and Tim took all her remains. I never received anything from her to bury.
Murphy-Johnson told friends that his wife left a suicide note, however, the coroner’s report did not mention any note and the level of fentanyl in Molly’s system was less than half that normally found in a victim. suicidal.
Despite the issue of forced drug use raised in Molly’s marriage, the coroner said, “concerns about emotional abuse and manipulation are outside the scope of what the coroner’s department can assess.”
Responding to Molly’s loved ones questioning her “suicide,” Murphy-Johnson’s relatives said the claims were “baseless” and called her marriage a “chaos.”
‘Molly had a serious addiction to fentanyl, as well as depression and a history of suicide attempts. “Tim saved her life on more than one occasion… so I don’t think he killed her,” said the relative, who remained anonymous.
‘To be honest, they both thought the other was trying to kill them. It was chaos. It was a sad, toxic mess, two people with deadly drug addictions and mental illnesses making for a terrible relationship.
‘He loved her very much and her death is what caused him to fall into madness. I can’t make excuses for anything Tim has done. I think he suffers from serious mental health problems.
They added that “if there is any evidence” to support Murphy-Johnson’s alleged role in his wife’s death, “then it should obviously be sent to the authorities.”