On February 9, 2022, 53-year-old Paula Johnson, a female, was found deceased in her home on Leighton Point Road in Pembroke, Maine. A friend discovered her body slumped over on the couch and contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Deputies responded to a report of an unresponsive woman and found Johnson with blood coming from her head. The circumstances of her death were immediately considered suspicious, and the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit was called to investigate.
An autopsy later confirmed that Johnson's death was a homicide, caused by a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
The investigation into Johnson's death revealed a connection to the local drug trade. According to police, Johnson was a suspected drug dealer who sold narcotics from her home for out-of-state suppliers in exchange for a portion of the proceeds. Investigators found drug paraphernalia and a significant amount of cash inside her residence. Less than a year prior to her death, Johnson had reported being robbed at her home by her own son and two other individuals.
Five months after the discovery of Johnson's body, authorities arrested 42-year-old Rebecca Moores of Robbinston during a traffic stop. Moores, who had a prior criminal record, was known to be a former girlfriend and a frequent customer of Johnson's. Witnesses told police that Moores had returned home the morning after the murder with large rolls of cash and a substantial quantity of heroin and cocaine. Initially, Moores provided inconsistent statements to the police, attempting to implicate two other men in the killing. She claimed they had forced her to be present while they killed Johnson as part of a plan to eliminate drug dealers. However, evidence from the men's cell phones and social media activity proved they were not at Johnson's house at the time of the murder.
Further evidence linked Moores directly to the crime. Surveillance footage from a nearby gas station showed her alone in her vehicle on the evening of the murder and the following morning. A search of her car uncovered a paper towel with Johnson's blood on it and 9mm handgun bullets, matching the type of weapon used in the killing. Following her arrest, Rebecca Moores pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder. However, in December, she changed her plea to guilty. In February 2024, Moores was sentenced to 32 years in prison for the murder of Paula Johnson.
