A North Dakota couple is facing charges of murder in the death of their three-year-old foster daughter who has autism.
Raymond F. Johnson, 62, and Jamie L. Johnson, 44, appeared remotely for a hearing on Monday as chilling details about the case were made public.
Emergency responders were called to the Johnsons’ home in Stanley on March 19 after Jamie Johnson reported that the child was unresponsive. The little girl was taken to a local emergency room and pronounced dead at 6:31 p.m.
Johnson told investigators at the time the child had fallen down stairs several days earlier, according to the affidavit.
She also claimed that shortly before the child became unresponsive, she had bitten her when Johnson tried to remove food from the child’s mouth.
According to the affidavit, the little girl also had extensive injuries, including bruising, lacerations, and facial trauma, documented by both the Stanley Police Department and Mountrail County Sheriff’s Office.
Johnson told investigators the child had Autism and would scratch herself and hit her head on walls, causing the injuries.
Raymond Johnson told investigators he last saw the child asleep on the couch before leaving for work that day and that she was making whimpering noises.
According to the affidavit, the little girl’s preliminary cause of death was ruled “inflicted blunt force trauma of head” and the preliminary manner of death was ruled “homicide.”
The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation took over the case and said Ring doorbell footage obtained from home revealed disturbing scenes of physical abuse on the day of the child’s death.
A BCI agent said in the affidavit that they observed Jamie Johnson “striking and punching Jane Doe in the face multiple times with an open and closed hand.”
The footage also reportedly showed Johnson striking the girl with a cell phone and violently pulling her up by her hair, causing her to hit her head on the floor, the affidavit states.
At that point, the child bit one of Jamie’s fingers and that’s when Raymond Johnson apparently intervened and kicked the girl in the lower back with his right foot, the special agent said.
Agents conducted interviews with other children living in the home and discovered ongoing abuse allegedly carried out by the foster parents.
One child allegedly said it was Jamie Johnson who abused them while Raymond was the “nice one.”
Both face multiple felony charges, including Class AA felony murder during the commission of certain crimes involving a child victim, Class A felony child abuse causing permanent impairment to a victim under age 6, and Class B felony domestic violence resulting in serious bodily injury to a victim under 12.
At Monday’s hearing, Mountrail County State’s Attorney Wade Enget requested a $1 million cash or surety bond for each defendant, citing the severity of the charges and risk of flight. Raymond Johnson did not contest the amount, and Judge Gary Lee granted the request.
Jamie Johnson pleaded for a lower bond, saying she needed to remain free in order to secure legal representation and maintained she was not a danger to the public.
Judge Lee noted that co-defendants are generally held to the same bond terms, but said the matter could be revisited at a future hearing.
Both are expected back in court for preliminary hearing on July 24. They both face life in prison if convicted of the felony murder charge.
