'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABhAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABwgQAAEEAgAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFABEGBxIUQXSyAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBREAAQQDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEDBHIyM7H/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AJ9y+sIjHBtAHYDb0hiLVuRJJOlxz3qwroOtgLB0oecxfbjdrO9p36OMZXg75VwTmDVF6p//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On September 16, 2021, Justine Johnson of Michigan reportedly stabbed her 3-year-old daughter Sutton Mosser several times and disposed of her body in a black trash bag. The 22-year-old claimed that she was hallucinating because of drug withdrawal and sleep deprivation at the time of the incident.
Justine told investigators that the cartoon character SpongeBob Squarepants ordered her to kill her daughter, Sutton, or she would die herself.
She is charged with first-degree felony murder and first-degree child abuse.
In February, Justine Johnson pleaded guilty to her charges and will serve a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Justine Johnson stabbed her daughter 17 times
According to Law & Crime, prosecutors reported that on September 17, 2021, at about 4 am, Justine’s brother found a black trash bag with the 3-year-old's foot sticking out of it and contacted the police.
Law & Crime reported that the police recovered Sutton Mosser’s body while Justine was missing. Following a search, at around 8:30 am, police reportedly located Justine and took her into custody. When questioned about her deceased daughter, she reportedly told officers that she did not want to address the topic and was arrested.
Mlive reported that during the preliminary hearing of the case, Child Protective Services Investigator Ryan Eberline testified that in an interview with Justine Johnson on October 1, the latter told her that she couldn't recall the specifics of the incident and was undergoing hallucinations due to heroin withdrawal and lack of sleep for about two weeks.
As per the New York Post's report, while talking about the hallucinations from the TV that apparently ordered Justine to kill her daughter, Ryan Eberline said:
“It was SpongeBob who was saying these things on the TV. If she didn’t do what she did to her daughter, they would kill her. She said she was afraid for her life, and she had lost her mind.”
Law&Crime reported that along with the life sentence for the felony murder of her daughter, who was stabbed 17 times, Iosco County Circuit Judge David C. Riffel ordered Justine Johnson to serve a sentence of a maximum of 50 years for first-degree child abuse.
Justine Johnson said that she is "full of remorse"
Law&Crime reported that during her sentencing hearing, Justine addressed the court and said that prior to murdering Sutton Mosser, she had been encountering hallucinations and could not recall any details of her daughter's death.
According to a report by Law&Crime, Justine said,
“I want everyone to know that I am full of remorse and wish every day that I could trade places with [my daughter].”
In the courtroom footage posted by MLive, Justine Johnson informed the court that she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, bipolar, ADHD, anxiety, and depression when she was 13. She also mentioned that in 2021 she was not on her medications for a year and had been using drugs, including meth and heroin.
