The Horrific Murder of Toddler Erica Green
Erica Green not long before her murder. Image: Unidentified Wiki
On the 28th April the naked, decapitated body of Erica Green was found by police in Kansas City. The child went unidentified until 2005 when her mother and step father were convicted of her murder.
Who was Erica Green?
Erica Green was a sweet little girl born to Michelle Johnson and Larry Green on May 15, 1997 in McLoud, Oklahoma. Michelle had recently been incarcerated for a little over a month on charges of larceny. Erica was the youngest among the five children Michelle had with Larry Green and had three other siblings born to different fathers.
Michelle was incarcerated at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center's where inmates were not permitted to have their children live with them. Consequently, Michelle had to find a guardian for Erica, and she decided on Betty Brown, a friend of her grandmother.
Erica was primarily raised in Oklahoma by Betty, who described her as one of the most self-reliant and mature toddlers she had ever met.
On April 4, 2001, Michelle collected three-year-old Erica, explaining that she wanted to bring her along to a family reunion. Michelle, accompanied by her boyfriend at the time, Harrell Johnson (whom she would marry the following year), took Erica and one of Harrell's children to Kansas City, Missouri, where they relocated to one of his cousins' homes. Although Michelle had initially gone to the area in search of employment, she eventually became involved in drug-related activities to make a living. Betty Brown never saw Erica again.
The Murder of Erica Green
Harrell’s cousin, Lawanda Driskell, who lived with the Johnsons, told media that Erica wasn’t happy living with Michelle and Harrell. She was often homesick and would cry and ask to be taken back to Betty.
According to Driskell, Harrell Johnson would physically assault the child for various reasons, such as crying, having accidents, refusing to eat. Driskell also recalls an incident where she overheard her cousin warning Michelle Johnson, "If you don't take care of your daughter, I'm going to do something terrible."
Approximately one week later, she heard a loud noise coming from the couple’s bedroom, which she now believes was the fatal strike to Erica's head.
One evening Harrell lost his temper with Erica because she didn’t want to go to bed. He was high on PCP at the time. It's unclear exactly how many times he kicked her, but at least one kick hit her head, causing her to become unconscious.
When Michelle realized what had happened, she was horrified. Both Michelle and Harrell had warrants for their arrest, so they didn't want to seek medical help for Erica. Michelle tried to revive Erica by putting her in a bathtub filled with cold water, but it didn't work. Erica never woke up, and she remained unconscious for somewhere between ten hours and two days before she died.
After Erica's death, the couple hid her body in a baby stroller. They took her to a wooded area using hedge clippers. They removed her clothes and Harrell cut off her head with the hedge clippers to make it harder to identify her. At first, they put her head in a dumpster near a nearby church, but Michelle was afraid people at the church would notice the smell. So they took it out and dumped it in the woods.
The next day, when Harrell's cousin asked where Erica was, Michelle lied and said that Betty Brown, the woman who had raised her, had come and taken Erica back to Oklahoma. Over the next four years, Michelle continued to tell similar lies to Erica's siblings and Larry Green. Sometimes she refused to talk about Erica at all. No one ever reported Erica missing because they believed she was somewhere else based on Michelle's lies.
Police Find the Body of Erica Green
On the evening of April 28, 2001, the police in Kansas City were conducting a search for a missing elderly man when they unexpectedly made another horrific discovery. They came across the lifeless body of a young child, completely naked and decapitated, in a wooded area near a church in the city. Three days later, a volunteer searcher found the child's head, which had been placed in a plastic bag approximately 100 yards away from the body.
The victim was identified as a young black girl, initially estimated to be between the ages of three and six. The shocking and brutal nature of the crime, coupled with the child's young age, quickly captured national attention. Despite the widespread coverage, no one came forward to claim the girl's body. She became known as 'Precious Doe.' No reports of missing children matching her description had been filed in the area, and there were no witnesses to the murder or the disposal of the body.
The investigators were astonished that a child of such a young age had not been reported missing. In the absence of anyone stepping forward to claim her, the public rallied together. Volunteers took it upon themselves to spread awareness about the case through various means such as radio broadcasts, newspapers, distributing flyers, and knocking on doors. They also raised funds for Precious Doe's funeral, which took place in December 2001 and was attended by hundreds of people. Additionally, efforts were made to raise money for a memorial dedicated to Precious Doe in Hibbs Park, located close to where her body was discovered.
Following the discovery of the body, the police shared a composite sketch and narrowed down the potential age range of the girl to three to four years old. In 2002, Precious Doe's remains were exhumed to conduct a new autopsy. They were exhumed again in 2003 to allow investigators to analyze her skull and create a new facial reconstruction depicting her possible appearance. The case received significant media attention, featuring on shows like America's Most Wanted and Cold Case Files. Over 1,000 tips were received by the police. Despite all the efforts and leads, four years passed without any substantial breakthroughs.
One of the most prominent advocates for 'Precious Doe' was Alonzo Washington. He managed to raise $33,000 as a reward for information regarding the case and even published a comic book about it. Each year, on the anniversary of the discovery of 'Precious Doe's' body, he placed an advertisement in a local African American newspaper, The Kansas City Call (often referred to as 'The Call'). These ads urged anyone with relevant information to come forward. It was through one of these advertisements that the case finally experienced a significant breakthrough.
Police Discover the Identity of Precious Doe
On April 30, 2005, Alonzo received a tip from Thurmon McIntosh, who identified himself as the grandfather of Harrell Johnson. According to Thurmon, Harrell, along with his wife Michelle, one of their children, and Michelle's three-year-old daughter Erica Green, had been in Kansas City during the spring of 2001. However, when the Johnsons returned to their home in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Erica was not with them. Despite Michelle consistently telling concerned relatives and friends that Erica was in the care of someone else, Thurmon suspected that Erica might be the unidentified 'Precious Doe.'
Alonzo promptly forwarded the tip to a Kansas City homicide detective, leading to Thurmon McIntosh being brought in for questioning on May 4. During the investigation, Thurmon provided investigators with photographs of a girl he claimed to be Erica, as well as hair samples from Michelle Johnson. Although it was discovered that the photographs were actually of one of Erica's cousins, the DNA analysis conducted on the hair samples confirmed a match to Precious Doe. Subsequently, the Johnsons were brought in for questioning on the same day, and, during the interrogation, the truth behind the case quickly came to light.
The Sentencing of Harrell and Michelle Johnson
On May 5, 2005, it was publicly announced that 'Precious Doe' was indeed Erica Green, and both Michelle and Harrell Johnson were charged with second-degree felony murder. At the time, they were already incarcerated on unrelated charges and were subsequently extradited to Kansas City.
While awaiting trial in jail, Harrell wrote letters to Michelle, pressuring her to change her account of the murder and shift the blame onto someone else. However, in September 2007, Michelle pleaded guilty to the charge of second-degree murder and made the decision to testify against Harrell. She received a sentence of 25 years in prison, consisting of 15 years for murder and 10 years for endangering the welfare of a child, abandoning a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence.
Upon learning of Michelle's intent to testify against him, Harrell's attitude changed. He asserted that she was no better than him, revealing instances when Michelle would leave Erica unattended for extended periods while engaging in drug use.
After the Johnsons' arrest, a Kansas City police officer suggested that Harrell's charges could be escalated to first-degree murder if a grand jury found evidence of premeditation. When Harrell's trial commenced in October 2008, he faced charges of first-degree murder.
In addition to the confessions of the Johnsons and Michelle's testimony, there was substantial physical evidence. Erica's autopsy report corroborated the injuries Harrell claimed to have inflicted upon her. The report also identified a "closed head injury" as the cause of her death, typically resulting from the head colliding with an object or vice versa. A neurosurgeon provided testimony indicating that if Erica had received immediate medical attention, she likely would have survived.
With all the aforementioned evidence against him, Harrell Johnson's fate was sealed. It took only a few days for the jury to find him guilty of first-degree murder, child endangerment, and child abuse. In November 2008, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
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