A Michigan mother whose toddler was discovered dead in a trash bag reportedly told a detective that the fictional character SpongeBob had directed her to kill the child.
Justine Johnson, 22, claimed that while going through heroin withdrawal, she heard voices from a fictional character informing her to murder her 3 year old child or face death herself, according to Independent.
On 16 September 2021, Ms. Johnson allegedly stabbed Sutton Mosser numerous times (16) before cramming her body into a black garbage bag. Two days before her death, the child turned 3.
According to news outlet MLive, Ryan Eberline, an investigator with Child Protective Services, gave testimony Friday during a prelim hearing before Iosco County District Judge Christopher Martin.
Ms. Johnson tried to claim at the time of her interview with the official on 1 October 2021 that she had left her mother’s Oscoda Township home and passed out in a cemetery the day that the child was murdered.
“She told me that she didn’t remember the specifics of what happened at the time of what happened to Sutton, that she was experiencing hallucinations due to heroin withdrawal and not sleeping for approximately two weeks,” Ms Eberline told the court.
The investigator added: “She was getting hallucinations from the TV that had instructed her to take her daughter’s life or they would kill her. It was SpongeBob who was saying these things on the TV. If she didn’t do what she did to her daughter, they would kill her. She said she was afraid for her life and she had lost her mind.”
Officers from the Oscoda Township Police Department arrived early Sept. 17 at the residence of Johnson and her two brothers. They received a phone call from one of the brothers reported seeing a small human foot poking out of a trash bag outside the residence.
After conducting an investigation, police discovered Sutton’s remains rolled up in linen and placed in a trash bag, wearing only a pink and white disposable pamper, according to WBRC.
Johnson has a pre-trial hearing scheduled for Feb. 28. She is being held in jail without bond.
