In the early hours of September 16, 2014, police were called to an apartment in Aurora, Colorado, for a domestic violence incident involving 24-year-old Danielle Stephanie Griego and her boyfriend, Elmo Johnson, 44. Although officers found Griego at the residence on Lima Street, Johnson had already fled the scene. Friends of Griego later reported that she had been a victim of Johnson's abuse on multiple occasions. The night before her death, Johnson had reportedly choked and hit her. Despite the history of abuse, Griego was not cooperative with investigators that morning, and after a search for Johnson was unsuccessful, the police left.
Later that same afternoon, concern for her daughter's welfare prompted Stephanie Griego to visit the apartment. She found what appeared to be her daughter sleeping on the couch. When she pulled back the covers, she made a horrifying discovery: Danielle was dead from a gunshot wound to the chest. Lying unconscious beside her was Elmo Johnson, who had apparently overdosed on drugs after killing her.
Johnson was transported to the hospital for his drug overdose and, upon his release the next day, was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and felony menacing. He initially claimed to have no memory of Griego's death, suggesting he may have blacked out after drinking vodka. Johnson had a history of violent crimes and had been released on bond for weapons and drug allegations just six days prior to Griego's murder.
During the subsequent eight-day trial, Johnson's sister testified that she heard Griego exclaim, 'Oh my god, what are you doing?' followed by Johnson yelling 'Shut up!' and then two gunshots around 2 a.m. on the morning of the murder. Despite hearing the confrontation, she went back to sleep. In December 2015, an Arapahoe County judge sentenced Elmo Jesse Johnson to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. He was also found guilty of a felony count of menacing with a weapon.
