An astrology influencer went on a horrific killing spree, apparently motivated by worries of a solar eclipse. She killed her spouse with a knife and her kids with a car before murdering herself by crashing her car into a tree.
On April 8, the day of the unusual total solar eclipse that left areas of the US in complete darkness, Danielle Johnson, 34, went on a violent rampage in Los Angeles.
Johnson expressed her views on social media in the days preceding the attack, saying she thought the solar eclipse would be the “epitome of spiritual warfare.”
The astrology influencer, who went by the handle “Ayoka,” had over 100,000 followers and frequently shared conspiracy theories and hateful comments on her page.
She had written notes on X prior to Monday’s attack, imploring people to “wake up; the apocalypse is here” and cautioning her followers to “pick a side.”
Prior to the eclipse, on Monday morning, authorities claim she went on a murderous rampage.
According to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department, Johnson and her 29-year-old live-in partner Jaelen Chaney got into a verbal altercation at their residence in the 6200 block of Variel Avenue at approximately 3:40 a.m. on Monday.
The altercation intensified as Johnson lost control and fatally stabbed Chaney.
After that, Johnson is accused of stealing her two small children, ages eight months and nine, and driving off in a dark-colored Porsche SUV.
The Porsche was observed traveling close to Howard Hughes Parkway on the 405 Freeway.
The two kids were then hurled from the moving car at roughly 4.30 in the morning. The nine-year-old survived the fall with very minor injuries.
The eight-month-old was struck by oncoming vehicles in the center of the road and passed away at the scene, according to LAPD Lt. Guy Golan.
“As the 9-year-old fell into the middle of the freeway, she injured herself and dropped the infant.” Mr Golan stated.
“And then, in a race to get out of the freeway and not get hit by traffic, the nine-year-old managed to get to the shoulder successfully, but the infant was struck by traffic. And so the infant succumbed to her injuries in the middle of the freeway there.”
Johnson continued driving after that, pushing the automobile to above 100 mph, and at about five in the morning, he crashed into a tree in Redondo Beach.
Johnson’s wounds caused her death.
The nine-year-old is currently the only one who has survived their mother’s horrifying murderous rampage.
Chaney’s body was discovered at the couple’s house a few hours later at around 7.35 am when neighbors saw that the front door was open.
According to the police, Chaney was found dead in the flat when a neighbor walked in to see how the family was doing.
Investigators are still trying to figure out what drove Johnson to go on the murderous spree.
Even though investigators have looked through her social media posts, Mr. Golan stated that “we just don’t know why she did what she did,” thus they do not believe the eclipse played a role.
“We’ve taken all the facts we can, but without being able to interview her and without having something more tangible than a post on X, I don’t know how much weight you can give to somebody (saying) there’s an apocalypse and attribute it to one of the most horrific murders we’ve had in LA,” he continued.
