In a horrific case that’s stunned the nation, a Hawaii-based U.S. Army soldier has been sentenced to 23 years behind bars after confessing to the brutal killing and dismemberment of his 19-year-old pregnant wife, Mischa Johnson.
Pfc Dewayne Johnson II, 29, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice, and providing false statements during a court-martial proceeding, according to a statement from the U.S. Army.
The sentence handed down on June 3 includes the maximum prison time allowed, plus a dishonorable discharge and reduction in rank.
The shocking crime occurred on July 12, 2024, inside the couple’s Hawaii home. During a heated argument, Dewayne admitted in court to striking Mischa in the head with a machete — a weapon they kept in the house.
The blow was so forceful that the machete got lodged in her temple.
According to Hawaii News Now, Dewayne told the court he eventually dislodged the blade and, in a gruesome attempt to cover up the killing, tried to dismember her body with it.
When that didn’t work, he bought a chainsaw and used it to sever her arms and legs from her head and torso, which he left intact.
In court, Dewayne revealed he placed the remains into three trash bags and dumped them into a dumpster on the military barracks — knowing full well the contents would be sent to a local incinerator.
Mischa’s remains, along with those of her unborn child, have never been recovered. The U.S. Army stated they are presumed to have been incinerated with Hawaii’s trash.
During sentencing, Dewayne issued an apology to Mischa’s family, his own family, and his fellow soldiers.
“My wife didn’t deserve that. She wasn’t trash,” he said. “I hate myself for what I did, every day.”
Prosecutor Lt. Col. Nicholas Hurd, who served in the case for the U.S. Army’s Seventh Circuit, acknowledged that no sentence could truly heal the pain of such a devastating loss.
“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 admission of guilt and the information he provided as a part of the plea agreement can provide some element of closure,” Hurd stated.
Despite knowing Mischa was dead, Dewayne didn’t report her missing until two weeks after the murder.
According to the Army’s statement, he even participated in search efforts across Hawaii, pretending to be part of the community, trying to find her.
During the investigation, prosecutors uncovered more disturbing evidence. Dewayne had been actively messaging 18 different women on dating apps, and investigators found photos of him performing sexual acts with another woman on his phone, KTIV reported.
The gruesome details of the case have left Mischa’s loved ones heartbroken. Her sister, Mariana Tapiz, spoke to Island News and shared the family’s effort to focus on the happier moments.
“As a family together, we’re just trying not to focus on the horrific details of her last moment with him. And instead, right now, we’re trying to remember the happy memories that we have and remember her in that life,” Tapiz said.