Man convicted of murder in 'Precious Doe' case

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) -- A man who kicked his girlfriend's daughter in the head and dumped her body in the woods was convicted Wednesday, resolving a case that haunted the Kansas City, Missouri, area during the four years the 3-year-old was known only as "Precious Doe."

Harrell Johnson's murder conviction Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri, means prison for life without parole.

The jury deliberated about three hours before convicting Harrell Johnson, 29, of the first-degree murder of Erica Green. He was also convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and abuse of a child.

The murder conviction will send Johnson to prison for life without parole, but jurors were deliberating his sentence on the other charges Wednesday afternoon. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty, partly because Johnson agreed to withdraw his request to have the case moved out of Kansas City.

During closing arguments, prosecutors told jurors a guilty verdict would finally bring justice in a case that brought an outpouring of public grief after a police officer found Erica's naked, headless body in a wooded area of Kansas City in April 2001.

Source: cnn.com

NOTICE the description of the body......HEADLESS

"This selfish coward made the decision to put himself before this 3-year-old child's life," said prosecutor Jim Kanatzar.

Defense attorney Chris Slusher argued that Johnson didn't know the girl would die. He said prosecutors hadn't proven he was guilty of deliberately intending her death.

Source: cnn.com

HELLO, Earth to Chris Slusher, the child was found with NO HEAD. How can you say he didn't know the girl would die??? In a legal system that has become so screwed up, are you really THAT STUPID to make that argument? That is even a stretch for a stupid lawyer.

"It's our position to you that the evidence in this case has not established that Harrell Johnson intended or deliberately meant for Erica Green to die," Slusher said.

Source: cnn.com

Mr. Slusher, you should be ashamed of yourself, your gene pool and you should be disbarred.

NowPublic

Tags: Life | Missouri | Kansas | body | three | four | Abuse | murder | Child | man | Prison | death | charges | Green | woods | World | jury | jurors | daughter | city | OF | Johnson | welfare | guilty | Girlfriend | haunted | PENALTY | head | Case | SEND | SENTENCE | other | afternoon | YEARS | area | will | known | request | WITHDRAW | without | only | Hours | IN | CONVICTED | Wednesday | prosecutor | were | precious | endangering | erica | agreed | before | PAROLE | KICKED | seeking | moved | partly | FIRST-DEGREE | said | have | intended | dumped | also | during | would | doe | This | About | That | resolving | because | deliberated | Harrell | Slusher