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Sarah Marie JOHNSON

 
 
 

 

Authorities seized several boxes of ammunition from Speegle's home. The only fingerprints
identified on the ammo belonged to Speegle, although a fingerprint analyst testified
she could not say when the print was made.

 

 

Diane Johnson was still in bed, under the covers, when she was shot at about 6:20 a.m.

 

 

In the defendant's statements to police and family members after the incident, Sarah gave
conflicting accounts of whether her parents' door was open when she emerged from
her room after hearing a shot ring out.

 

 

Authorities seized these live .264 Winchester Magnum rounds from the closet in the guesthouse
behind the Johnson home, from which the murder weapon was also obtained.

 

 

This shell casing was found at the foot of the bed where Diane Johnson lay dead. It was linked
to the murder weapon, a bolt-action .264 Winchester Magnum, a high-velocity rifle that
the shooter would have had to reload rapidly in order to fire shots at both victims.

 

 

Police found Mel Speegle's .22-caliber rifle in the garage located below the apartment he
rented from the Johnsons. He testified he last saw the rifle in his closet.

 

 

Prosecutors believe the pink bath robe belonging to Sarah that was found in the Johnson's
garbage, spattered with her parents' blood, usually hung here in her bathroom.

 

 

Trace evidence analyst William Schneck compared particles found on Sarah Johnson's robe
with particles found on a T-shirt she wore the morning of the shootings.

 

 

Two weeks before the murders, the Johnsons hosted a wedding for Alan's brother. The guest
book and wedding decorations can be seen here in the Johnsons' kitchen.

 

 

Police found a pregnancy test in a garbage can outside the Johnson home, among other
evidence, including Sarah's pink bathrobe, which was stained with her mother's blood,
and a discarded latex glove bearing Sarah's DNA.

 

 

This picture of Sarah Johnson arriving at her parents' memorial service ran in a local newspaper.
A jailhouse informant testified the picture angered Sarah because it made her look
like she was smiling.

 

 

Judge Barry Wood moved the trial to neighboring Ada County after about 75 percent of potential
jurors in Blaine County were disqualified because they said they knew the family too well, already
believed Sarah was guilty, or cited financial hardship that would prevent them from serving.

 

 

Convicted felon Malinda Gonzales described her experiences sharing a jail cell with Sarah Johnson.
According to Gonzales, Sarah said, "When I killed... ," before correcting herself and saying
 "When the killers...". According to Gonzales, Sarah also said that for her 17th birthday,
 she wanted to be released from jail to get a massage and spa treatment.

 

 

Blood spatter expert Rod Englert testified that he believed the distribution of Diane and Alan
Johnson's blood on Sarah's pink robe was only possible if the killer wore the robe backwards.
Sarah Johnson voluntarily excused herself from the testimony due to the graphic content.

 

 

 
 
 
 
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