A pair of 14-year-old girls have been arrested for first-degree murder in connection with the brutal killing of a 93-year-old Kansas woman over Labor Day weekend last year.
The teens were arrested Thursday in connection with the death of Joanne Johnson. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said they are now being held in separate juvenile detention centers.
“How could something like this happen here?” said the woman’s distraught son, Tim Johnson. KWCH‘This is a quiet, tree-lined street in a neighborhood in the middle of a city of 9,000 people.’
Although authorities declined to identify the suspects because they were minors, they did reveal that they were from the same town as the victim.
In September 2023, Joanne Johnson was found dead in her home on Robbins St. in Augusta.
A pair of 14-year-old girls have been arrested for first-degree murder in connection with the brutal killing of a 93-year-old Kansas woman over Labor Day weekend last year.
In September 2023, Joanne Johnson was found dead in her home on Robbins St. in Augusta.
Investigators quickly ruled her death a homicide and determined that the victim, who lived alone, was killed sometime between Saturday night, September 2, and Sunday night, September 3.
Tim Johnson has struggled to comprehend the shocking developments in the case.
He described the alleged murder of his mother by two 14-year-old girls as “inexplicable”.
Tim compared the situation to “being struck by lightning on a cloudless day.”
“The family has no words and no ability to understand what has happened,” says the statement, picked up by KWCHhe concluded.
Investigators quickly ruled her death a homicide and determined that the victim, who lived alone, was killed sometime between the evening of Saturday, September 2, and the evening of Sunday, September 3.
Johnson’s body was discovered by family members.
Although his loved ones did not know the motive, it was clear to them that the crime was brutal and calculated.
“To have an unexplained, brutal, senseless murder… it’s incredibly hard,” he continued, before adding: “I don’t think we can process it yet.”
In May, eight months after the murder, Johnson’s family and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly each offered $5,000, bringing the reward total to $10,000, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
The recent arrests of the two teenagers have left Johnson’s family, as well as the broader Augusta community, in shock.
In May, eight months after the killing, Johnson’s family and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly each offered $5,000, with a total reward of $10,000, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
The victim’s loved ones, however, also indicated that they are prepared to find some kind of resolution.
For the past year, Johnson’s family and the rest of the town have lived in a state of perpetual fear as those responsible for the brutal murder remain at large.
As a result, the arrest of the two teenagers has brought a modicum of relief to the grieving community.
“We loved her and this was the most devastating thing for our block, our neighborhood,” said Holly Randol, Johnson’s former neighbor. KWCH.
Randol added: “My heart still hurts that all this had to happen. They were children, children. My heart is broken.”
The victim’s family said they do not know the girls who were arrested.
Despite the killers’ ages, Johnson’s loved ones hope the punishment will be proportional to the brutality of the crime.
The victim’s son described the street where his mother lived as “quiet” and “tree-lined.”
Johnson is remembered as a kind person and an exemplary member of his community.
Tim Johnson remembers his mother as a kind person and an exemplary member of her community.
“She was the kind of person who was always interested in other people… She’d talk to you for a couple of minutes and know where you were from, what school you went to, what you were doing and what you wanted to do,” he said. KWHC.
“Next time I talk to you I’ll remember every single one of those things, you know, the kind of person that many of us aspire to be, I know I am.”
At this time, formal charges are pending and the investigation is ongoing.
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