Diane Johnson, a 21-year-old Black woman, was found murdered on March 9, 1987, in Los Angeles, California. Her body was discovered in a roadway construction area near the 10000 block of South Grand Avenue in the Vermont Vista neighborhood, west of the Harbor Freeway. The scene was grim—her body was partially nude, and the location suggested she had been left there deliberately.
Two passing motorists spotted her remains and alerted authorities, initiating a homicide investigation.
The circumstances of Diane Johnson’s death were later linked to a series of killings attributed to Chester DeWayne Turner, a convicted serial killer. Turner was eventually charged and convicted for the murder of Diane Johnson along with nine other women. All of his known victims were women, and many were Black, like Johnson. The killings spanned several years and shared disturbing similarities, including the locations where the bodies were found and the condition in which they were discovered.
In 2007, Chester DeWayne Turner was sentenced to death for the murder of Diane Johnson and the other victims. Authorities believe he may have been responsible for at least seven additional killings beyond those for which he was convicted. His arrest and conviction came after years of investigation, aided by advances in forensic technology that linked him to the crimes. Diane Johnson’s case, once a tragic mystery, became a pivotal part of the evidence that ultimately brought Turner to justice.
