Precious Doe
Encyclopedia
Precious Doe was a pseudonym
assigned to an unidentified female corpse (presumed to be 3 to 4 years of age) discovered on April 28, 2001, in Kansas City
, Missouri
. The girl had been murder
ed and decapitated (between 12 and 48 hours prior to discovery). The body was naked and the head was wrapped in a trash bag and dumped nearby. The brutality of the crime, and the fact that the child went unidentified for a long period, sparked national interest. In an effort to identify the girl, police released sketches, computerized likenesses, and at least two busts depicting the victim. The case was featured on the TV programs America's Most Wanted
and Cold Case Files
several times.
On May 5, 2005, the body was identified as Erica Michelle Marie Green, age three, and her mother Michelle Johnson (also known as Michelle Pierce) and stepfather Harrell Johnson were charged with her murder and extradited
from Oklahoma
to face charges in Missouri. The eight other children of Erica's mother were taken into state custody or placed with relatives. On December 3, 2005, prosecutors announced that they would seek the death penalty against Erica's stepfather, Harrell Johnson.
Police have said that after Erica died, Harrell Johnson said he used hedge clippers
to sever her head. Johnson's cousin, Lawanda Driskell, said that Erica's mother helped Harrell dispose of the body by taking Erica from the house as if sleeping in a stroller and telling Driskell she had given Erica to the woman who had raised her.
On October 8, 2008, Harrell Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. On October 22, 2008, Michelle Johnson was sentenced to 25 years in prison, in exchange for her 2007 guilty plea to second-degree murder and testimony against her husband.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
assigned to an unidentified female corpse (presumed to be 3 to 4 years of age) discovered on April 28, 2001, in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. The girl had been murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed and decapitated (between 12 and 48 hours prior to discovery). The body was naked and the head was wrapped in a trash bag and dumped nearby. The brutality of the crime, and the fact that the child went unidentified for a long period, sparked national interest. In an effort to identify the girl, police released sketches, computerized likenesses, and at least two busts depicting the victim. The case was featured on the TV programs America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
and Cold Case Files
Cold Case Files
Cold Case Files is documentary television series on the cable channel A&E Network hosted by Bill Kurtis that documents the investigation of various long-unsolved murders through the use of modern forensic science , and criminal psychology, in addition to recent breakthroughs in the...
several times.
On May 5, 2005, the body was identified as Erica Michelle Marie Green, age three, and her mother Michelle Johnson (also known as Michelle Pierce) and stepfather Harrell Johnson were charged with her murder and extradited
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
to face charges in Missouri. The eight other children of Erica's mother were taken into state custody or placed with relatives. On December 3, 2005, prosecutors announced that they would seek the death penalty against Erica's stepfather, Harrell Johnson.
Police have said that after Erica died, Harrell Johnson said he used hedge clippers
Hedge trimmer
A hedge trimmer, shrub trimmer, or bush trimmer, is a gardening tool or machine used for trimming hedges or solitary shrubs...
to sever her head. Johnson's cousin, Lawanda Driskell, said that Erica's mother helped Harrell dispose of the body by taking Erica from the house as if sleeping in a stroller and telling Driskell she had given Erica to the woman who had raised her.
On October 8, 2008, Harrell Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. On October 22, 2008, Michelle Johnson was sentenced to 25 years in prison, in exchange for her 2007 guilty plea to second-degree murder and testimony against her husband.
External links
- 'Precious Doe's' Mom Testifies She Watched Daughter Get Attacked Foxnews.com. October 07, 2008.
- Precious Doe Timeline kpho.com. May 5, 2005.