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| Darrius Johnson |
According to court records, Darrius Johnson, 22, allegedly told police he killed 20-year-old Monica Gooden in his Lauderhill apartment early Sunday morning because he needed to sacrifice someone with a Taurus astrological sign.
Lauderhill police were first called around 8:30 a.m. Sunday after Johnson allegedly attacked a woman sitting on the screened-on patio of an apartment about a mile from his home. A probable cause affidavit stated that the attack was unprovoked.
The woman cried for help and her nephew came out to the patio with a knife. According to police, Johnson was stabbed in the ensuing struggle, but he fled and was picked up by officers nearby.
While at Florida Medical Center for treatment of his injuries from that incident, Johnson allegedly told an officer that he had argued with his girlfriend the night before and “she’s in heaven.”
According to the affidavit, Johnson allegedly said, “I kept on stabbing her but she just wouldn’t die.”
The officer requested a welfare check at Johnson’s apartment. Court records said police who entered the residence found a trail of blood on the floor leading to a back bedroom, where they discovered the body of Monica Gooden. On the floor near the body was a bloody steak knife.
Gooden’s death was determined to be a homicide and a coroner observed puncture wounds and lacerations on her back, chin, neck and stomach. Three knives were recovered from the crime scene, along with a damaged Xbox 360 that appeared to have “an extensive amount of blood” on it, according to the affidavit.
After he was discharged from the hospital, Johnson was interviewed by Lauderhill police detectives. According to police, he waived his right to have an attorney present after being read his Miranda warnings.
During that interview, Johnson allegedly stated that he needed to sacrifice someone who was born under the Taurus astrological sign and he spent hours early Sunday debating who to kill. The affidavit does not indicate why Johnson felt this sacrifice was necessary.
Public records indicate Gooden was born in November 1992. She was not a Taurus.
According to the affidavit, at one point during the interview, a detective asked Johnson where Gooden was and he responded, “Monica should be brutally murdered.”
Johnson allegedly told police he killed Gooden for his betterment and hers. The affidavit stated he also claimed that Gooden had control over his spirit.
Once he decided to sacrifice Gooden around 6 a.m., Johnson told detectives he attacked her from behind, hit her in the face with the Xbox and started stabbing her, according to police.
“The defendant stated the victim would not die and was still moving and talking…” the affidavit stated. “The defendant further went on to say that he fought the victim like he was fighting a dragon.”
According to the affidavit, Johnson allegedly told police he felt like a new man after the killing.
Johnson has been charged with premeditated murder and burglary with assault or battery, and he is being held without bond at the Broward County Jail.
The public defender assigned to Johnson’s case did not return calls seeking comment, but Chief Assistant Public Defender Robert Wills told the Sun-Sentinel after his first court appearance, "Based upon the circumstances of the case and his demeanor in our contact in court today, we want to have him evaluated by mental health professionals as soon as possible."
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