19-Year-Old Mauricio Johnson Pleads Guilty to Three Counts of First Degree Murder
Mauricio Eduardo Johnson
Press release from the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office:
Today, October 26, 2021, 19-year-old Mauricio Johnson pled guilty before Judge Timothy Canning, to three counts of first-degree murder and admitted three special allegations for use of a firearm causing death for the killings of Nikki Metcalf, Margarett Moon, and confidential minor victim Jane Doe, in February of this year, on the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria Reservation. The prosecution accepted the offer made by Andrea Sullivan, Johnson’s attorney, of 150 years to life in prison. The sentence means the defendant will have a parole hearing in 25 years.
The facts of this case support the defendant’s plea. On the night of February 9th, the defendant entered the home of the Nikki Metcalf, Margarett Moon, and Jane Doe with the permission of several of the minors in the home. Sometime during the night, after most of the occupants were asleep, Nikki discovered the defendant and Jane Doe together in Jane Doe’s bedroom and began to struggle with the defendant. When confronted by Nikki, the defendant pulled a firearm out of his backpack and shot Nikki. The defendant then shot Margarett and Jane Doe. Nikki and Jane Doe died at the scene, and Margarett died shortly after.
If the case had proceeded to trial and a jury found the defendant guilty of the charges above and the additional special allegation of multiple murders, a judge might have sentenced the defendant to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In agreeing to the plea, the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office considered several factors, including: 1) the plea satisfies the public safety mission of the Office, 2) a trial would require testimony from young people who have suffered a tragedy, 3) the wishes of family members of the victims, 4) the retention of hope for the positive transformation of a person 18 years of age at the time of their crime, and 5) likely changes to California law.
To clarify two points: Attorneys and victim advocates from the District Attorney’s Office spoke with many members of the victims’ families, friends, and additional members of the community. Understandably, given the terrible harm done by the defendant, the people most affected by the murders expressed differing views on whether to accept the plea or proceed to trial.
On the point about California law, youthful offenders all currently receive a parole hearing in their 25th year of incarceration, unless they are serving life without the possibility of parole. California legislators are seeking to modify the parole eligibility of youthful offenders, so that all would be entitled to a parole hearing regardless of their original sentence. The defendant’s agreed upon sentence would be the maximum sentence he could receive if the law under consideration takes effect.
Finally, citizens should recognize the difficulty of receiving parole for people guilty of first-degree murder. The Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office attends all parole hearings for murders, to ensure that decision-makers remain fully aware of the substance and significance of the crimes committed.
Earlier:
- Three Now Dead in Loleta Homicide
- 16-Year-Old Is One of Three Dead in Yesterday’s Killings in Loleta
- 18-Year-Old Suspect in Loleta Homicides Taken Into Custody in Utah; Two Others Detained
- Pieces Unfold: More on the Loleta Triple Homicide
- Suspect in Bear River Rancheria Triple Homicide Arraigned in a Utah Courtroom
- Bear River Rancheria Homicide Suspect and Accomplice Appeared Yesterday in a Utah Courtroom
- Bear River Rancheria Triple Homicide Suspect Refuses Extradition Unless Humboldt County District Attorney Drops Special Circumstances
- Humboldt County Law Enforcement Searching for Local Man Captured With Suspect in Bear River Triple Homicide Earlier This Year
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This person should get death sentence for what he did and don’t waist tax dollars on him sitting for the rest his life in prison…be done with his worthless ass….he killed those people for no reason except his own…..
Kids that age do dumb stuff. Add girls, drugs, guns and this is what happens. Mostly the guns. When guns are everywhere this kind of stuff is always going to happen. And mostly it happens in a split second decision and it can’t be taken back. It ruins many lives. But yeah, I’m sure a good guy with a gun could have fixed everything.
“But yeah, I’m sure a good guy with a gun could have fixed everything.”
Yeah, just ask old what his name . . . Ummm that Baldwin guy.
Too soon and heartless. Glad the kid saved everyone so much bs by just fessing.After 25 years he deserves a hearing. Just sad.
It’s just a hearing. Charles Manson had many parole hearings and still did life without parole.
Yes, really good idea. Take away everyone
s freedom & rights because this sort of riff - raff live a disgusting, violent, drug ridden lifestyle. Give up more freedom in the hope -- quite vain -- of a little more safety.Why is it our business if these people comport themselves as if theyre still whacking each other with stone axes? Nearly always they keep it among themselves and can be considered analogous to a self – cleaning oven.
I can’t believe you actually claim this is what kids do if guns are around. Myself and everyone I know grew up with guns around and we never considered murder just because we were fuzzed up. This little pig is a psychopath and should be dispatched. It scares me that guns are blamed while bloodthirsty killers are swept under the rug.
Start giving the meth slingers the death penalty and you would see far fewer incidents like this. P2P is not your grandfathers meth. It is instant psychosis.
Murdering three people, one of them a girl, does not qualify as “dumb stuff.” He got his gun out and shot one after the other- even those who could do nothing to stop him. If you think of it as adolescent “dumb stuff”, what could possibly work it way up to “serious shit” for you?
Kids do dumb stuff? Well at 19 he is an adult not a kid. As for “dumb stuff” killing 3 people in cold blood in not something stupid it is cold callus murder. If you think it was just a bad decision you need to take a look at your moral values because at no time in my life would I even consider doing something like he did not would most people. This guy needs to never see the outside of a prison again. The three people he killed will still be dead when he is up for parole in 25 years.
I did lots of dumb stuff as a kid. I would not put murder in the “dumb stuff” category.
There is a moratorium on the death sentence in california, that Newsom declared so it wouldnt do any good other than for show.
The last execution in CA was 15 years ago, so it’s not just a Newsom thing. There have only been 13 executions in CA since 1972 – the reality is death row costs the tax payers way more than regular incarceration and rarely leads to execution. This scenario isn’t unique to CA either. Either this guy spends the next 25+ years living in remorse for what he’s done and strives to make himself a better person in whatever means he can while incarcerated, or he doesn’t. My guess is the parole board will not be very open to paroling him when the time comes unless he makes a pretty exemplary and long-term turn around in his life.
Californians voted to have it reinstated. Greasy Gavin shut that down -against the will of the voters. Death Row only costs more because the wimpy libs have made it that way with many many insertions of time-wasting procedures that were actually designed to destroy the death sentence. And I’m not talking about concerns about due cause here but real obfuscations and delays and extra proceedings that they used to make it very difficult to carry out the will of the people. Even the Polly Klaus molester and killer could not get a death sentence! We finally got a proposition to reinstate it…we voted in favor of it and…Greasy Gavin told us he would not accept our vote. Please don’t use as a reason for not doing it that it’s too expensive after the libtards purposely did that! But BTW I’m not sure this kid qualifies- very young and I think it should be reserved for especially cruel and heinous murderers…
Try not writing immature things like “Greasy Gavin” and “Libtards” and people might actually read what you wrote to discern if your point(s) are valid.
I try but these roll so easily off the tongue…He is greasy and I only use libtard sparingly. Most of my friends and myself are liberals. I consider libtards to be the equivalent of the Tea Party extremists only on the other side. Please give me a better descriptor?
Just focus on the points you are trying to make – using labels like that comes across as childish and makes one presuppose what “side” you are on, rather than reading the content of what you are trying to say and is likely to make someone skip right over it. Just my $0.02.
The Death Penalty is a complex social, political, and moral issue and all I was trying to note was that these complexities way predate the current governor, and nor are they limited to liberal California. And while the voters may have approved that ballot measure, is was run at the same time as a measure to repeal the death penalty, and as is always the case with ballot measures, they were purposefully written in a confusing and obfuscated manner, so while it may have passed, I don’t really feel it is a meaningful mandate from the CA people on this issue (and I highly doubt if clearly written it would pass today). I don’t personally choose a side one way or another becuase it is such a complex issue and I see both sides. The reality, both in California and in the vast majority of states in this country, is that only a small % of the death sentences eventually lead to executions and the cost of housing convicts on death row is substantial and they typically are there for decades.
If they would just shut down death row and put the inmates in general population not only will that save money, But their sentence will probably be carried out by other prisoners.
You do not think that a Government that ignores the people’s vote is wrong; this is what is wrong with our country today. It is “We the People” not “We the Government”. We the people need to take this country back from the Government or we will be enslaved to our Government 100% more than we are now. Stop feeding them and they will go away so that “We the People” will be in control again. Without doing this we will be their slaves for life.
The Constitution give rights. Rights that can’t be voted away. Those rights are what keeps people from being slaves. No election can do that reliably. Democracy can be a lynch mob.
What did he write? I didn’t read it.
It’s costs double to house a killer on The Shelf…
Spot on…There’s no Justice for Nikki Metcalf, Margarett Moon or Jane Doe…
right now it seems to take 30+ years for a death row inmate to be executed, and they’re allowed to appeal, appeal, appeal over and over again – costing taxpayers money, wasting time in court, forcing victims & their families to testify over and over again.
There shouldn’t be any appeals in this case. 25 years until he’s eligible for parole. In the meantime he’ll be bored in prison and maybe subject to beatings or harassment from friends or more distant relatives of the victims.
Inmates should receive only one appeal. If they lose, it’s time to pull the switch…
Bullshit. Parole boards release dangerous assholes back into our communities every day.
Not ones guilty of 1st degree murder
Umm….Yes they do.
you know this for certain and willing to stake your reputation on it ?
They are released every day? Hardly – do some research on how often 1st degree murder convicts are released on parole
Ha! Okay- you got me! On a technicality- not “every day”. I missed that and I concede. Have a great day!
https://www.kqed.org/news/135494/behind-californias-dramatic-increase-in-murderers-freed-from-prisons
I thought you were right, but…
Once again, your just nagging just to nag. Why would it be called first degree murder if there’s no such thing as first degree murder. Go get a life. Stop trolling everybody with your nonsense, and have some respect for these native peoples and their loved ones. If not, then troll somewhere else [edit]
So sad four lives wasted and for what?
I have a good friend in Loleta whos daughters went to elementary school with Mauricio. He’s always been a bad kid. Bad parents. The dude assaulted my buddies little girl and the resolution was a “heeling circle”. Maybe my buddy should have pressed charges back then.
Good. May he ROT IN HELL!
Hell doesn’t exist, only science. I worship science
And Science failed. I worship my cat.
Seems like a more honest description of his sentence is 25 years to life, cuz 25 years is the minimum sentence he will serve since he can be paroled after 25 years.
The following info about crime by recidivists is from: https://californiainnocenceproject.org/issues-we-face/recidivism-rates/
“A recidivist is a person who is released from prison and who later commits another crime, or reoffends, such as a parole violation or the commission of a new crime.
California defines a recidivist as a person who commits a new crime or violates parole within three years of his or her release from custody. Recidivism rates by state vary, but California is among the highest in the nation.
According to a 2012 report by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, more than 65 percent of those released from California’s prison system return within three years.
Seventy-three percent of the recidivist committed a new crime or violated parole within the first year. These numbers have not changed significantly over the years.”
That was fairly quick. These things can go on for years. At least family members were spared that. And don’t worry, in 25 years the parole board will shoot him down, they have long memories
That’s what they said about Sirhan Sirhan…
Sirhan Sirhan who is 77 had served 53 years before they started considering his parole. Did they release him? It was awaiting governor approval.
Sadly, Sirhan Sirhan, the man convicted of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 in Los Angeles, was granted parole Friday on his 16th attempt.
The decision does not automatically mean the 77-year-old Sirhan will be released. The decision now enters a 90-day review period, and will then be forwarded to the governor, who could reject or modify it. I’ll wager that Newsome will approve Sirhan’s parole.
I almost think he deserves parol after 25 years for saving everyone the grief and expense of dragging it out. 25 years is no small thing. Nothing will bring anyone back.
presented with overwhelming evidence and witnesses to testify
The man who shot President Reagan is home living with his mom. It all depends on who is on the parole board. Sometimes the parole board is as crazy as the killers.
supposedly rehabilitated
Often lifers get released when they are elderly and frail. They’ve literally rotted away behind bars so it is considered human to let them pass amongst family.
Hinckley is insane, 66-years old, spent over 3 decades in insane asylum, and failed to commit murder.
Yes he was declared not guilty by reason of insanity. Didn’t he serve close to 30 years?
His mom passed away.
Pos take him out back and off him stop tax payers money from keeping them alive eye for eye. Its may be 2$ for 9mm .
This dude is not going to be welcomed into prison very well.LOL.
Raping a girl (yes statutory rape) and murdering her and two others just because he thinks it makes him cool is NOT GONNA GO OVER WITH THE HARDCORE THUGS. hahahaha!!!! HAVE FUN DUDE!! :):)::)::))::):):):)
Kym many places will not give clout to the criminal by posting their picture or using their name. Cant he be referred to as BR suspect? Or The suspect in the killings. He deserves no benefit from his actions. Thank you.