In the early morning hours of September 18, 2017, the life of 61-year-old Donna Kay Johnson came to a violent end in her Louisville, Kentucky home. A female victim of multiple gunshot wounds, her death was quickly ruled a homicide. The quiet street where she lived became the scene of an intense investigation as police sought to piece together the events that led to the tragedy.
Authorities soon focused their attention on a suspect who was intimately familiar with Donna: her 64-year-old
husband, Percy Joiner. Evidence gathered at the scene and subsequent investigation led to his arrest in connection with his wife's murder. The preliminary belief by law enforcement was that the shooting was the result of a domestic dispute, a tragically common motive in such violent encounters.
As the case unfolded, a troubled history between the couple came to light. It was revealed that this was not the first time Percy Joiner had violently assaulted his wife. In a disturbing parallel from the past, he had pleaded guilty to assault in 1979 after shooting Donna three times. Further complicating the circumstances of her death were reports that her husband had been diagnosed with dementia. In a sad twist of fate, court records indicated that Donna had expressed concerns about his condition and held power of attorney over him, legally entrusted with his care and well-being. Following his arrest, Percy Joiner was charged with murder and held at Metro Corrections.
