Michael Johnson

Serial Killer

Michael A. Johnson Jr.: Chicago Serial Murder Suspect

Overview

Michael A. Johnson Jr. is a Chicago murderer and convicted sexual predator whom prosecutors described as a serial killer after he was connected to a group of women who were strangled or violently assaulted on the city's Far South Side. The crimes attributed to Johnson occurred between 2008 and 2010, primarily in and around the Roseland, West Pullman and surrounding South Side neighborhoods. Several victims were discovered naked or partially undressed inside abandoned buildings, vacant apartments or other isolated locations. Johnson was accused of murdering four women and attacking at least two others who survived. The cases shared a number of disturbing characteristics. The women were approached in areas where prostitution and drug activity were common, taken to secluded places, sexually assaulted or beaten and strangled until they lost consciousness. Johnson allegedly abandoned them afterward without checking whether they were alive. Three of the homicide investigations were linked through DNA evidence, while a surviving victim's identification led directly to his arrest. Although Johnson was convicted in one murder case, that conviction was reversed by an Illinois appellate court in 2018. The court ruled that the evidence established that Johnson had sexual contact with the victim but did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he murdered her. He remained imprisoned, however, because of his lengthy sentence for the attempted murder, sexual assault and beating of a surviving woman. Johnson was charged in the other homicide cases, but publicly available court records do not establish convictions for those deaths.

Early Life and Background

Michael A. Johnson Jr. was born on September 5, 1985, and grew up on Chicago's South Side. Accounts presented during later court proceedings described an unstable and impoverished childhood marked by neglect, physical abuse and limited education. Johnson was born with only two fingers on one hand, a noticeable physical characteristic that later became relevant when witnesses and investigators attempted to identify him. As a young adult, Johnson reportedly struggled with unemployment and homelessness. He obtained work at a shipping company in 2008 but eventually lost the job. During this period, prosecutors alleged that Johnson began targeting women whose circumstances made them particularly vulnerable. Many of the women connected to the investigation struggled with addiction or supported themselves through sex work, making their disappearances less likely to receive immediate public attention. ...

Confirmed Victims: (2)

Eureka Jackson Age: (38), Date of Death: 2008-11

Survivors:

Woman 1 Age: (43), Date of Attack: 2008-08

Candice Franklin , Date of Attack: 2010-03

Siobhan Shay Hampton Age: (30), Date of Attack: 2010-03

Lutelda Hudson Age: (29), Date of Attack: 2010-03

Michael Johnson (serial killer) - Wikipedia