WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii – The mystery behind the disappearance of Army wife Mischa Johnson, 19, who went missing in July 2024 from her home at Schofield Barracks, is now resolved.
Her husband, Pfc. Dewayne Arthur Johnson II, 29, pleaded guilty to killing his wife Mischa and her unborn child during his court-martial June 3 at the Wheeler Army Airfield Courtroom, Hawaii.
Specifically, he pleaded guilty to the lesser included offense of voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice, and providing false official statements. The charges of possession of child pornography and the production and distribution of child pornography were dismissed by the government per the terms of his plea agreement.
The military judge sentenced him to the maximum of 23 years in prison, reduction in rank to E-1, total forfeitures of pay and allowances and a dishonorable discharge on June 5 at the conclusion of the court-martial.
On July 12, 2024, Pfc. Johnson and Mischa, who was six months pregnant, were at their home on Schofield Barracks when they began arguing and then things escalated to violence.
As part of the plea agreement, Pfc. Johnson admitted to killing his wife and unborn child in the heat of passion by striking her in the head with a machete. He also provided specific details of his actions following their deaths, to include dismembering the bodies with a chainsaw and then using his car to transport the remains to a dumpster on Schofield Barracks.
Two weeks after the killing, Pfc. Johnson reported her missing to authorities on July 31, 2024, and even participated with community search parties that spanned the island to look for her.
Investigators with the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division searched the Johnson home and found blood, DNA and other forensic evidence which led to Pfc. Johnson being charged with her murder on August 27, 2024.
“Today as a result of the tremendous efforts from the prosecution team from the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel and 25th Infantry Division’s Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, a complete, detailed, and comprehensive investigation by team members from the Army CID Pacific Field Office, and the dedicated family and friends of Ms. Mischa Johnson, the accused was sentenced to the statutory maximum amount of confinement for the killing,” said Lt. Col. Nicholas Hurd, prosecutor, Seventh Circuit, Army OSTC.
“While no amount of confinement will ever be able to truly ease the pain of the loss of Ms. Johnson and her unborn child for her family and friends, it is my hope that Pfc. Johnson’s admissions of guilt and the information he provided as part of the plea agreement can provide some element of closure and finality for the family and all stakeholders,” he said.
“After almost one year since Mischa Johnson last saw her family, I am relieved that the accused was held accountable for what he did to her and her unborn child in court today,” said Lt. Col. William Wicks, prosecutor, Headquarters, Army OSTC. “This comes after determined efforts by Army CID, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory and other federal and local law enforcement partners. We extend our sincere gratitude to them in helping to obtain the first step towards closure for Mischa’s family.”
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Mischa Johnson, grieving the loss of Mischa and her unborn child,” said Army CID Pacific Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Ruben Santiago. “Army CID remains committed to investigating on behalf of victims, and we hope this outcome provides a measure of closure to the Johnson family and the community.”
The remains of Mischa and her unborn child have never been found and are presumed to have been transported to the island’s trash incinerator.
Pfc. Johnson, a cavalry scout assigned to the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, will serve his prison sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
The case was investigated by the Army CID Pacific Field Office and prosecuted by Hurd, Wicks, Capt. David Nguyen, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 25th Infantry Division, and Capt. Matthew Brown, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel is comprised of specially trained military lawyers, legal professionals and support staff responsible for the expert and independent prosecution of murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, kidnapping and other serious criminal offenses. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., OSTC has eight regional headquarters that oversee 28 field offices located across the country to include Europe and Korea. For more information visit https://www.army.mil/ostc.
If you would like to report a crime, have information about a crime, or have been the subject or survivor of a crime, you can submit anonymous tips to Army CID at https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=325.
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