Mauricio Eduardo Sanchez-Johnson, 19, has pled guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and admitted three special allegations for use of a firearm in the killing of 40-year-old Nikki Dion Metcalf, 40-year-old Margarett Lee Moon and 16-year-old Shelly Autumn Mae Moon in Bear River earlier this year. Johnson faces life in prison.
Johnson pled guilty before Judge Timothy Canning in Humboldt County Superior Court on Tuesday. The prosecution accepted the offer made by Andrea Sullivan, Johnson’s attorney, of 150 years in prison.
“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,” according to a prepared statement from the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office. “… The sentence means the defendant will have a parole hearing in 25 years.”
District Attorney Maggie Fleming told the Times-Standard the first-degree murder charge carries a penalty of 25 years to life. The special allegation carries a penalty of 25 years to life as well.
“As those are all going to be served consecutively it is 150 years to life,” she said. “Seventy-five years for three first-degree murder counts and 75 years for three special allegations.”
In agreeing to the plea, Fleming considered whether the plea satisfies the public safety mission of the District Attorney’s Office, the wishes of the victims’ family members, “the retention of hope for the positive transformation of a person 18 years of age at the time of their crime,” and likely changes in state law. She also noted that “a trial would require testimony from young people who have suffered a tragedy.”
“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,” according to the statement. “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.”
In California, all youthful offenders receive a parole hearing in the 25th year of incarceration unless they are serving life without the possibility of parole.
The District Attorney’s Office noted that “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.” Johnson’s agreed-upon sentence of 150 years is the maximum sentence he could receive if the law under consideration takes effect.
“Citizens should recognize the difficulty of receiving parole for people guilty of first-degree murder,” the statement read. “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.”
Fleming said Johnson will be sentenced on Jan. 21, 2022. He will serve his time in the California Department of Corrections, though she could not say which state prison he will be sent to.
When asked whether the District Attorney’s Office will pursue charges against Johnson’s mother Melissa Johnson or Von Eric Keener who helped Johnson flee Humboldt County on the night of the triple murder, Fleming said her office “will issue a statement in the next few weeks on the other two involved in the flight of Johnson.”
Isabella Vanderheiden can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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October 28, 2021 at 07:00AM
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Bear River triple homicide suspect pleads guilty, faces life in prison - Eureka Times-Standard
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