A San Carlos woman accused of fatally shooting her husband and 14-year-old daughter in their condominium and staying with the bodies for three days before reporting the deaths must stand trial on double murder charges, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Regina Renee Johnson, 59, is accused in the 2012 slayings of 56-year-old Reuben Johnson and Aaliyah Johnson. The West Hills High School freshman was shot in the head, and her father died of gunshot wounds to the abdomen and the head.
Both bodies were in a state of decomposition when they were found. Authorities said the victims could have been killed as early as May 30, 2012, three days before they were discovered.
After her arrest, Regina Johnson was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. Her competency was recently determined to be restored, and she was returned to San Diego to face charges.
Prosecutors said the defendant called family members out-of-state, informing them that her husband and daughter were dead, and relatives relayed that information to the San Diego Police Department.
Officers sent to the Johnson residence about 1:30 a.m. on June 2, 2012, found Reuben Johnson’s body in an upstairs hallway — a 9 mm handgun registered to him was nearby — and his daughter face-down in her bedroom.
Gunshot residue was found on the defendant’s hands after the shooting, according to evidence presented at today’s preliminary hearing.
A crime scene reconstruction specialist testified that a message written in lipstick on a bathroom mirror blamed a doctor for prescribing pills.
Judge Louis Hanoian ruled that enough evidence was presented for the defendant to proceed to trial. She faces 50 years to life in prison if convicted.
A status conference is set for May 23.
–City News Service
