*WARNING! THE DETAILS IN THIS STORY MIGHT BE DISTURBING FOR SOME VIEWERS*
New court records have revealed more details about the gruesome murder of Rosemary Johnson, the Cape Coral woman who was killed. Police said the murder suspect is her son, Devin Johnson.
Around 1:25 p.m. on Sept. 16, court documents said Johnson’s daughter went to check on her mom because she wasn’t answering her phone. When she got to the home on Jacaranda Parkway West, the daughter told police she got in through an unlocked side door and found blood on the living room floor.
Then, she said she found her mom laying on a recliner under a blanket. The daughter said she lifted the blanket and saw “obvious injuries to her head and neck.”
Police got to the home in eight minutes and Rosemary was pronounced dead at 1:34 p.m., according to the documents.
Rosemary’s daughter told detectives she heard from her mom the night before and had made plans to see each other on Tuesday. The next day, her daughter said she couldn’t get ahold of her mother and tried to call Devin twice, the documents said. Her sister also tried to call Rosemary six times on Tuesday.
The daughter told police Devin had assaulted Rosemary before and “she had legitimate fears that he would one day kill her,” the documents said.
She also said Devin was previously Baker Acted after he tried to use a speargun to hurt himself, the documents said. She also claims he was diagnosed with Schizophrenia, but would not take his medication consistently.
In the documents, the daughter told detectives that her brother had a known problem with several drugs and that he was using Rosemary’s money to feed his habit since he didn’t have a job.
“Searching for possible motives, [the daughter] indicated that their mother recently completed a home equity line of credit in the ballpark of $100,000 and that Devin [Johnson] possibly had access to her bank accounts,” the court documents said.
THE TIMELINE:
Officers talked to a neighbor and learned that Devin had left the home shortly before police got there and they put out a Be On The Lookout (BOLO) for him, the documents said.
That same camera caught a timeline of Devin’s moves from Monday night to Tuesday morning, according to police.
The documents said at 7 p.m., Devin went to a gas station and was wearing a necklace police later found under Rosemary on the recliner. At around 9:33 p.m., Devin’s car is back at home until he leaves at 11:36 p.m., the report said.
Documents show that Devin then got home at 11:50 p.m., but sat in the car for about 20 minutes.
At around 12:16 a.m., police said Rosemary asked Devin to bring the drinks out of the trunk.
Roughly an hour later, police said Devin bought a plane ticket from Fort Lauderdale to Costa Rica, which would be taking off on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
At 4:26 a.m., police said Devin was caught leaving the house, came back 20 minutes later with a bag and circled the car several times. Police said he also looked at the neighbor’s camera before going inside. The house then went dark at 5:26 a.m., the documents said.
Around 7:56 a.m., police said Devin left the home again and went to a McDonald’s drive-thru before going back home a half hour later. The documents said there was a bloodstain on the fast food bag, which was discovered after a search warrant.
The documents said Devin left the home twice between 10:07 a.m. and 10:14 a.m.
According to the court documents, that’s when Rosemary’s daughter called their mom several times, including Devin.
At 1:30 p.m., the documents said Devin left, bought bleach and paper towels at Publix and got back home at 1:28 p.m.
On the same camera, police said it caught Devin driving past the home and presumably once he saw his sister’s car in the driveway, he kept driving.
CHASING A SUSPECT:
That same day, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office chased Devin’s car, Fox 4 previously reported.
The report said a deputy deployed stop-sticks and Johnson's vehicle hit them. That same deputy then started chasing the car.
According to documents, Johnson suddenly stopped and ran out of the car near Tamiami Trail North and Immokalee Road. The report said Johnson then picked up an unknown item in front of the car on the road, then got back in and took off.
The report said Johnson then came to a stop behind a grocery store and ran into the woods near a neighborhood.
The deputy said he deployed his taser, but it did not effect Johnson. Then, the deputy said in the report that a stun gun was used, which took Johnson down to the ground.
As the deputy tried to handcuff Johnson, the report states Johnson kept trying to get up, kicking the deputy.
At one point, documents state Johnson tried to get the deputy's taser, but the deputy was able to get it away from him.
That same deputy tried to stun Johnson several times, but said it did not work. Then, according to deputies, Johnson tried to grab their gun from the deputy's holster.
Again, deputies tried to tase Johnson again. Other deputies arrived, including a K9 officer from Cape Coral Police.
The report said Johnson tried to choke the dog, but the officer was able to get Johnson's grip off the K9. At that point, law enforcement said they were able to take him into custody.
After Devin’s arrest, he was sent to the hospital with a Cape Coral detective shortly behind. He said in a report that Devin had cuts to his hands and below his left eye. The document said Devin refused to talk to police.
THE CRIME SCENE:
Back at the home, police said they found bloody footprints and bloody shoe prints on the living room floor.
Documents said Rosemary had significant mobility issues and relied heavily on her walker, which was next to the recliner.
As detectives and forensics specialists started to investigate, the court documents said Rosemary had “several deep lacerations” to her face and neck, leading to “heavy blood loss and contusions.” They said she had injuries to her hands that appeared to be defensive wounds.
The Medical Examiner said in the court documents that Rosemary had upwards of “one hundred defects to her person caused by a plain edged knife and a serrated edged knife,” which were found inside the home.
Documents said the serrated knife blade was in the recliner and the handle was on the floor near the sliding glass door frame.
According to the documents, Rosemary suffered a broken hyoid bone, which the doctor said was consistent with “mechanical asphyxiation.”
“Mechanical asphyxiation is when an object or a physical force stops you from breathing. It also includes body positions that may prevent you from breathing,” the Cleveland Clinic defines.
DEVIN’S BEDROOM:
Detectives said they searched Devin’s room and found blood on the light switch, the bedroom floor and bathroom floor, including the shower.
Police said they also found clothing with blood on it on the sink counter.
As they searched his bedroom, documents said they found an Oxycotin bottle on the dresser and it was in Rosemary’s name, the documents said. Police said they also found empty, clear plastic bags with the appearance of white residue, “consistent with the possible use of cocaine.”
Police said in the documents that they were all over the bedroom, along with several cut straws.
THE KITCHEN:
In the kitchen, documents said a knife with a broken blade was in the garbage can, which were like the knives in the drawers. Police said they also found blood throughout the kitchen.
THE ARREST OF DEVIN JOHNSON:
Following his charges in Collier County, Devin was brought back to Lee County to face charges including second-degree murder, aggravated abuse of an elderly person, fleeing law enforcement and driving with a suspended or revoked license.
On Oct. 20, the State Attorney’s Office filed a motion to gain access to Rosemary’s medical records.
Devin is due back in court on Oct. 27 for his arraignment.
