Latest news with #25thInfantryDivision
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Soldier killed pregnant wife with a machete, then dumped her in the trash
A US Army soldier has been sentenced to 23 years behind bars for killing his pregnant wife. Pfc. Dewayne Johnson II then attempted to cover up the killing by dismembering Mischa Johnson's corpse and disposing of her body in the trash. Hawaii-based Johnson pleaded guilty earlier this week to voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice and providing false official statements, the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel said in a statement. He was sentenced on Thursday. Mischa Johnson was 19 years old and six months pregnant when she died on 12 July, 2024. Her body has never been found. Johnson, of the 25th Infantry Division, told the judge in a military courtroom that he hit his wife with a machete in their home at the Schofield Barracks military base on Oahu after an argument, KITV reported. He said he snapped after his wife yelled that his child would not know that he existed. He hit her on the head and she stopped breathing. He said he did not intend to kill her. 'I couldn't picture my life without my child," he said. 'I regret, I shouldn't have done it.' Johnson used a chain saw to cut up his wife's body and placed her body parts in garbage bags that he put in a dumpster in his unit. He said he heard the garbage was taken from there straight to an incinerator. Johnson reported his wife missing more than two weeks after her death on 31 July, then joined search parties looking for her around Oahu. He was charged with her murder on 27 August after Army investigators found blood, DNA and other evidence in his home. Prosecutors said Johnson, from Frederick, Maryland, received the maximum sentence allowed under law. They dropped child sexual abuse image charges under the terms of his plea agreement. Johnson's rank will be reduced to private and he will forfeit pay and allowances and be dishonorably discharged. He will serve his sentence in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Mischa Johnson's sister Marianna Tapiz told KITV it was shocking and painful to hear what happened. 'As a family together, we're just trying not to focus on the horrific details of her last moment with him," Tapiz said. 'And instead, right now, we're trying to just remember the happy memories that we have and remember her in that life.' Army prosecutor Lt. Col. Nicholas Hurd said he hoped the justice proceedings will help the family heal. 'While no amount of confinement will ever be able to truly ease the pain of the loss of Ms. Johnson and her unborn child for her family and friends, it is my hope that Pfc. Johnson's admissions of guilt and the information he provided as part of the plea agreement can provide some element of closure and finality for the family and all stakeholders,' Hurd said in a statement.
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
US soldier gets 23 years for killing his pregnant wife with a machete and dumping her in the trash
A Hawaii-based U.S. Army soldier was sentenced Thursday to 23 years in prison for killing his wife and unborn child last summer and attempting to cover up the crime by dismembering and disposing of her body in the trash. Pfc. Dewayne Johnson II pleaded guilty earlier in the week to voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice and providing false official statements, the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel said in a statement. His wife, Mischa Johnson, was 19 years old and six months pregnant at the time of her death July 12, 2024. Her body has not been found. 3 U.S. Army Pfc. Dewayne Johnson, a cavalry scout assigned to 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, sits with his teammates during an exercise at Helemano Military Reservation, Hawaii, Nov. 2, 2023. Joshua Linfoot/U.S. Army Johnson, of the 25th Infantry Division, told the judge during testimony in a military courtroom that he hit his wife with a machete in their home at the Schofield Barracks military base on Oahu after an argument, KITV reported. He said he snapped after his wife yelled that his child won't know that he existed. He hit her on the head, and she stopped breathing and didn't have a pulse. He said he didn't intend to kill her. 'I couldn't picture my life without my child,' he said. 'I regret, I shouldn't have done it.' He used a chain saw to cut up his wife's body to hide the killing and placed her body parts in garbage bags that he put in a dumpster in his unit. He said had heard the garbage was taken from there straight to an incinerator. 3 Mischa Johnson was 19 years old and six months pregnant. Marianna Tapiz Johnson reported his wife missing July 31, more than two weeks after her death. He joined search parties looking for her around Oahu. He was charged with her murder Aug. 27 after Army investigators found blood, DNA and other evidence in his home. Prosecutors said Johnson, from Frederick, Maryland, received the maximum sentence allowed under law. They dropped child sexual abuse image charges under the terms of his plea agreement. Johnson's rank will be reduced to private and he will forfeit pay and allowances and be dishonorably discharged. He will serve his sentence in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. 3 Prosecutors said that Johnson received the maximum sentence allowed under law. Handout Marianna Tapiz told KITV it was shocking and painful to hear what happened to her sister. 'As a family together, we're just trying not to focus on the horrific details of her last moment with him,' Tapiz said. 'And instead, right now, we're trying to just remember the happy memories that we have and remember her in that life.' Army prosecutor Lt. Col. Nicholas Hurd, said he hoped the justice proceedings will help the family heal. 'While no amount of confinement will ever be able to truly ease the pain of the loss of Ms. Johnson and her unborn child for her family and friends, it is my hope that Pfc. Johnson's admissions of guilt and the information he provided as part of the plea agreement can provide some element of closure and finality for the family and all stakeholders,' Hurd said in a statement.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
US soldier gets 23 years for killing his pregnant wife with a machete and dumping her in the trash
WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii (AP) — A Hawaii-based U.S. Army soldier was sentenced Thursday to 23 years in prison for killing his wife and unborn child last summer and attempting to cover up the crime by dismembering and disposing of her body in the trash. Pfc. Dewayne Johnson II pleaded guilty earlier in the week to voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice and providing false official statements, the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel said in a statement. His wife, Mischa Johnson, was 19 years old and six months pregnant at the time of her death July 12, 2024. Her body has not been found. Johnson, of the 25th Infantry Division, told the judge during testimony in a military courtroom that he hit his wife with a machete in their home at the Schofield Barracks military base on Oahu after an argument, KITV reported. He said he snapped after his wife yelled that his child won't know that he existed. He hit her on the head, and she stopped breathing and didn't have a pulse. He said he didn't intend to kill her. 'I couldn't picture my life without my child,' he said. 'I regret, I shouldn't have done it.' He used a chain saw to cut up his wife's body to hide the killing and placed her body parts in garbage bags that he put in a dumpster in his unit. He said had heard the garbage was taken from there straight to an incinerator. Johnson reported his wife missing July 31, more than two weeks after her death. He joined search parties looking for her around Oahu. He was charged with her murder Aug. 27 after Army investigators found blood, DNA and other evidence in his home. Prosecutors said Johnson, from Frederick, Maryland, received the maximum sentence allowed under law. They dropped child sexual abuse image charges under the terms of his plea agreement. Johnson's rank will be reduced to private and he will forfeit pay and allowances and be dishonorably discharged. He will serve his sentence in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Marianna Tapiz told KITV it was shocking and painful to hear what happened to her sister. 'As a family together, we're just trying not to focus on the horrific details of her last moment with him,' Tapiz said. 'And instead, right now, we're trying to just remember the happy memories that we have and remember her in that life.' Army prosecutor Lt. Col. Nicholas Hurd, said he hoped the justice proceedings will help the family heal. 'While no amount of confinement will ever be able to truly ease the pain of the loss of Ms. Johnson and her unborn child for her family and friends, it is my hope that Pfc. Johnson's admissions of guilt and the information he provided as part of the plea agreement can provide some element of closure and finality for the family and all stakeholders,' Hurd said in a statement.
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
US soldier gets 23 years for killing his pregnant wife with a machete and dumping her in the trash
A Hawaii-based U.S. Army soldier was sentenced Thursday to 23 years in prison for killing his wife and unborn child last summer and attempting to cover up the crime by dismembering and disposing of her body in the trash. Pfc. Dewayne Johnson II pleaded guilty earlier in the week to voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice and providing false official statements, the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel said in a statement. His wife, Mischa Johnson, was 19 years old and six months pregnant at the time of her death July 12, 2024. Her body has not been found. Johnson, of the 25th Infantry Division, told the judge during testimony in a military courtroom that he hit his wife with a machete in their home at the Schofield Barracks military base on Oahu after an argument, KITV reported. He said he snapped after his wife yelled that his child won't know that he existed. He hit her on the head, and she stopped breathing and didn't have a pulse. He said he didn't intend to kill her. 'I couldn't picture my life without my child," he said. 'I regret, I shouldn't have done it.' He used a chain saw to cut up his wife's body to hide the killing and placed her body parts in garbage bags that he put in a dumpster in his unit. He said had heard the garbage was taken from there straight to an incinerator. Johnson reported his wife missing July 31, more than two weeks after her death. He joined search parties looking for her around Oahu. He was charged with her murder Aug. 27 after Army investigators found blood, DNA and other evidence in his home. Prosecutors said Johnson, from Frederick, Maryland, received the maximum sentence allowed under law. They dropped child sexual abuse image charges under the terms of his plea agreement. Johnson's rank will be reduced to private and he will forfeit pay and allowances and be dishonorably discharged. He will serve his sentence in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Marianna Tapiz told KITV it was shocking and painful to hear what happened to her sister. 'As a family together, we're just trying not to focus on the horrific details of her last moment with him," Tapiz said. 'And instead, right now, we're trying to just remember the happy memories that we have and remember her in that life.' Army prosecutor Lt. Col. Nicholas Hurd, said he hoped the justice proceedings will help the family heal. 'While no amount of confinement will ever be able to truly ease the pain of the loss of Ms. Johnson and her unborn child for her family and friends, it is my hope that Pfc. Johnson's admissions of guilt and the information he provided as part of the plea agreement can provide some element of closure and finality for the family and all stakeholders,' Hurd said in a statement.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Inside the US Army's Pacific war prep, from unfamiliar aircraft landings to drone warfare
The US Army is training with the Philippines on new tech, weapons, and tactics. That includes flying and landing aircraft in unfamiliar locations in varying western Pacific weather. Keeping troops alive in the environment and giving them the latest drones is also key. Out in the islands of the western Pacific, the US Army and a strategic ally are landing aircraft in places they don't know, testing new drones and sensors, and trying to keep soldiers hidden in the electromagnetic spectrum. The training is focused on adapting to the quickening pace of innovation on the battlefield, a general told Business Insider. In the Philippines, soldiers from Hawaii's 25th Infantry Division are conducting their annual Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center- Exportable exercise. The division and its Philippine counterparts, about 2,000 personnel, are preparing for the possibility of a conflict in the Pacific. The threat of a war with China is at the forefront of US military thinking about the region. The environment poses the biggest challenge. This area is largely tropical, mostly water with islands scattered about. Maj. Gen. Marcus Evans, commander of the division, said temperatures are high and soldiers are grappling with the rain, wind, and humidity from monsoon season. These environmental factors are impacting how drones operate and how troops sustain themselves. The exercise stretches across land, air, and sea, among other combat domains, and the operations are testing soldiers. "Each and every day, they are having to fly in varying terrain to different helicopter landing zones working around the different weather patterns," Evans said of the air operations. Some pilots are flying in temperatures and landing on terrain with which they are unfamiliar. On the ground, troops are learning to drive infantry squad vehicles that can move over sand and through jungles. The vehicles carry everything soldiers will need when they're alone in the environment — more water, food, and power are priorities. At an exercise last year, troops were given bottled water. Now, they're working with a purification system that allows them to draw water from rivers and streams. Among the weapons they're working with are emerging technologies like drones, which come with challenges. They're flying shorter distances and for less time due to the temperature and weather. Soldiers are also working with counter-uncrewed aerial systems, reconnaissance and electronic warfare capabilities, and technology to help obscure or hide signatures from enemies. Much of it is a glimpse at what soldiers would need in the future war. The exercise is a sort of stress-test, not just not on the vehicles, aircraft, weapons, and systems, but also the individual soldier. They're operating the drones across formations, using counter-UAS systems to defeat enemy drones, and looking at the electromagnetic spectrum to keep hidden. It's also an opportunity for troops to innovate from the bottom up. Warfare technology is moving at breakneck speeds — urging, as Evans said, the need to be more agile in employing them but also knowing the threats and how to defend against them. He told BI about one soldier who was flying a first-person view drone. They used a medium-range reconnaissance drone to "serve as a pathfinder," effectively navigating the FPV drone behind the reconnaissance one to have a better sense of the battlefield and get in a position to strike enemy targets. "No one had talked to him about [that], trained him on [it], but he was innovating with the equipment that he was given," Evans said. In Evans' view, having the soldiers out there working with and learning from the Philippine Army is crucial. "The longer we stay in the field, the more things that we can stress, the more things we test out and understand the true limitations in this kind of harsh environment," he said. Read the original article on Business Insider
