A man convicted of murdering his stepfather by stabbing him more than 100 times at their Rancho Bernardo home was sentenced Thursday to 26 years to life in state prison.
Pablo Johnson, 27, was found guilty by a San Diego jury of killing 61- year-old Michael Johnson at their Caminito Campana condo on the evening of Jan. 28, 2024.
According to trial testimony, the victim sustained over 100 stab wounds and cuts, mostly to his head, face, and neck.
A woman walking her dog just before 6 p.m. saw a bloody Michael Johnson draped over the railing of the home’s patio and called 911. Officers arrived a short time later and arrested Pablo Johnson, while Michael Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jurors convicted Johnson of first-degree murder, plus an allegation of using a knife in the killing.
Deputy District Attorney Cassidy McWilliams argued at trial that the relationship between the defendant and victim had grown contentious over what she said was the defendant’s unwillingness to work or take care of chores around the residence.
Jurors were shown text messages between the pair that displayed escalating arguments over household chores and living expenses, which culminated in a physical altercation one day before the killing.
McWilliams said the defendant attacked his stepfather on Jan. 28, chased him throughout the condo, and stabbed him with enough force to break the knife into multiple pieces.
But Deputy Public Defender Leanne Skirzynski said what occurred on the evening of Jan. 28 was more akin to a mutual fight, which she said was sparked by the victim.
She told jurors Michael Johnson had been consistently abusive to her client and had physically assaulted him on numerous occasions.
She said that yet another argument between the pair on Jan. 28 resulted in Michael Johnson charging at her client in the home’s kitchen, prompting Pablo Johnson to grab the first thing he could to defend himself, which was a knife.
Both men armed themselves with knives, and during the ensuing melee, Skirzynski said her client was “flailing” his knife, rather than targeting any particular place on his stepfather’s body. Another knife found near Michael’s body bore none of her client’s DNA, she said.
The prosecutor said that while Michael Johnson had a litany of stab wounds and other injuries, Pablo Johnson had virtually no wounds to his body, other than a pair of small cuts to his hands, which she said were likely accidental self-inflicted wounds sustained during the fatal attack.
McWilliams also argued during Johnson’s sentencing hearing on Thursday that evidence suggested Johnson planted the knife found near the victim to support his claim of self-defense.
Superior Court Judge David Berry agreed, stating that Johnson texted two people a picture of his stepfather’s body, which did not show a knife near Michael Johnson. Berry said this indicated the knife was “certainly planted” at a later time.
–City News Service
