In the winter of 2013, the life of a 32-year-old Caucasian woman named Ya Jewel Johnson was tragically cut short in her Saint Paul, Minnesota home. On January 6th, what began as a domestic argument with her husband, Steven Roger Johnson, escalated to a fatal conclusion. During the dispute, Steven retrieved a handgun and shot his wife in the head. Their young toddler was reportedly in the home at the time of the incident.
Following the murder, Steven Johnson took disturbing and calculated
steps to conceal his crime. He dismembered his wife's body and placed her remains in plastic bins. In an attempt to further cover his tracks, he purchased cleaning supplies and a saw from a local hardware store. He then transported the bins containing his wife’s remains to a friend's garage in the nearby suburb of White Bear Lake, without his friend's knowledge of their gruesome contents.
The grim discovery of Ya Jewel Johnson's remains was made after Steven Johnson confided in his friend about what he had done. The friend promptly contacted the police, leading them to the garage. When officers went to the Johnson's home to conduct a welfare check, Steven arrived with one of his wife's coworkers, feigning concern about her failure to show up for work. He was immediately detained for questioning.
Under interrogation, Steven Johnson confessed to the murder of his wife. He admitted to shooting her during an argument in which she had threatened to leave him. He was initially charged with second-degree murder, but a grand jury later indicted him on the more severe charge of first-degree premeditated murder. In a plea agreement, Steven Johnson pleaded guilty to first-degree premeditated murder and was sentenced to life in prison. As part of the plea deal, a second-degree murder charge was dismissed, and it was agreed that the state would not oppose any attempts he might make for an early release after serving thirty years of his sentence.
