Mischa Johnson couldn’t wait to meet her first child, but her husband made sure she never would in shocking bedroom outburst that changed the entire course of both their lives
a military court for what he did to his pregnant wife
On the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii, Mischa Johnson was looking forward to welcoming her first baby. It was 2024 and Mischa, 19, was six months pregnant with a girl, who was already named Armani. Mischa was also a newlywed after marrying Dewayne Johnson, a private first class in the US Army, in November 2023. They were living together on Schofield Barracks military base, starting their new lives and building a family.
Mischa, of Filipino descent, had been born and raised in Oahu, and her family were hugely important to her. She often looked after her grandmother and younger relatives, who affectionately called her Auntie Mimi. Everyone knew she was going to make a devoted mum. Mischa and Johnson had even set up a register of baby items they’d picked out so loved ones could spoil their little girl.
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The family often remarked on how in love the couple seemed. They were always together and showing affection in public. They still seemed in the honeymoon phase.
In July, Mischa’s sister Marianna announced she was pregnant too and Mischa was so happy they would be raising their children together. They arranged to go for dinner on the night of 12 July to celebrate and make plans.
Mischa went shopping with her mum on 11 July, and spoke to her on the phone on 12 July, but she didn’t turn up at the restaurant to meet her sister that evening. Marianna sent her a text asking where she was and got the reply, “Home, wasn’t feeling good. Sorry.”
While no one saw Mischa in person again, people continued to get text messages from her. But something didn’t seem right. The messages weren’t in Mischa’s usual style, in tone or punctuation.
Reported missing
Two weeks later, on 31 July, Mischa’s family were shocked when Johnson reported his wife missing and an investigation began. The army offered a $10,000 reward for information and posters of 5ft 2in Mischa with her baby bump were distributed.
Locals helped search all over the island for Mischa and Johnson joined them. He organised his colleagues to help look and spent time with Mischa’s family as they waited, desperately hoping for news. Her disappearance was completely out of character and her loved ones started to fear the worst.
But investigators began to question whether Mischa had been missing longer than Johnson had said. No one had seen her in person since 11 July and her text messages had been unusual. They started to monitor Johnson’s behaviour and discovered he had signed up to an online dating app and had messaged 18 women since Mischa had vanished. There were even images on his phone showing him kissing and performing sexual acts with another woman. Evidence showed that Johnson was talking to the woman about starting a new life together. Did he know Mischa was not coming back?
When the police found blood, DNA and other incriminating evidence at their home, Johnson was arrested. Officers determined that while they couldn’t find a body, Mischa and her unborn baby were dead – and that Johnson had killed her.
He faced a military trial and in June this year pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice and providing false official statements. To the horror of Mischa’s loved ones, he revealed what he’d done to his wife and unborn child – and why their bodies were unlikely to be found.
Johnson, 29, told the court he had been arguing with his teen wife in their bedroom. He alleged his wife had shouted that his child “won’t know that he existed” and he snapped. He recalled grabbing a machete that was already in the room and hit her over the head with it. Sickeningly, the weapon got stuck in her temple.
“I couldn’t picture my life without my child,” he said. “I regret it, I shouldn’t have done it.”
When Johnson eventually managed to get the blade out of Mischa’s head, he realised she had stopped breathing. He checked her pulse, but she was dead.
Dumped in a bin
Johnson admitted he’d first tried to cut up her body with the machete to cover up what he’d done, but he’d failed. So he went and bought a chainsaw to finish the job. He cut her limbs and head from her torso, leaving them intact, then put the body parts into three bin bags, before putting them all in a dumpster. Johnson said he had heard the rubbish from there went straight to an incinerator.
He apologised to Mischa’s family. “My wife didn’t deserve that. She wasn’t trash,” he said. “I hate myself for what I did, every day. They both deserved so much more. I failed as a husband. I failed as a father, and I failed as a man… I’ll forever be sorry.”
Mischa’s family spoke of their grief. Marianna said losing Mischa was like a “void in her heart that will never be filled again”. Her mum, Frances Tapiz-Andrian, was overwhelmed on the stand as she talked about her “unbearable grief”.
“I struggle every day, night,” she said. “No matter how many people you meet, losing a person isn’t losing a relationship, it’s losing a piece of yourself.”
Johnson was given the maximum sentence of 23 years for killing his wife and unborn child. He forfeited his pay and allowances and was dishonourably discharged. He will serve his sentence in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Mischa’s remains have never been found. It’s presumed she was transported to the island’s refuse incinerator. Johnson waited two weeks before revealing Mischa was ‘missing’, which was enough time for her, and her unborn baby, to disappear forever.