Scary stories

Idaho Girl, 16, kills parents

Sarah Johnson was 16 years old when she shot and killed her parents with a high-powered rifle because they did not approve of her 19-year-old boyfriend.

VictimsAlan, 46, and Diane Johnson, 52, lived in an attractive home that sat on two acres of land in an affluent suburb in the small community of Bellevue, Idaho. They had been married for 20 years and were devoted to each other and to their two children, Matt and Sarah.

The Johnsons were well liked in the community. Alan was the co-owner of a popular landscaping company and Sarah worked for a financial firm.

The CrimeIn the early morning hours of September 2, 2003, Sarah Johnson ran out of her home, screaming for help. She told neighbors that her parents had just been murdered.

When police arrived, they found Diane Johnson lying under the covers of her bed, dead from a shotgun blast that had removed most of her head. Alan Johnson was found lying next to the bed, dead to his chest.

The shower was running and Alan's body was wet. Based on wet bloody footprints and blood splatters, it appeared that he had stepped out of the shower and was then shot, but managed to walk towards Diane before collapsing and bleeding to death.

The Crime SceneThe police immediately secured including sectioning off an entire block around the house. In a trashcan outside of the Johnson's home investigators found a bloody pink bathrobe and two gloves – a left-handed leather glove and a right-handed latex glove.

Inside the home , tissue and bone fragments that went from the Johnson's bedroom, into the hall, and across to Sarah Johnson's bedroom.

A .264 Winchester Magnum rifle was found in the master bedroom. Two butcher knives, with the tips of the blades touching, had been placed on the end of the Johnson's bed. A magazine of bullets was also found in Sarah's bedroom, which was located around 20 feet across the hall from the Johnson's bedroom.

There was no evidence of forced entry into the home.

Sarah Johnson Talks to PoliceWhen Sarah Johnson first she said that she woke up around 6:15 a.m. and heard her parent's shower running. She continued to lie in bed, but then heard two gunshots. She ran to her parent's bedroom and found that their door was closed. She did not open the door, but rather called for her mother who did not answer. Frightened, she ran out of the house and began screaming for help.The Story ChangesHer story of what happened would change several times throughout the investigation. Sometimes she said her parent's door was slightly opened and other times she said her door was closed, but not her parent's door.

Based found in the hall and in Sarah's bedroom, both her door and her parent's door would have to have been opened.

Sarah also admitted that the pink robe was hers, but denied knowing anything about how it ended up in the trash. When first asked about the robe her first response was to say that she did not kill her parents, which investigators found odd. She said she thought the killer was a maid who had been recently fired by the Johnsons for stealing.

The Murder WeaponThe owner of the the Johnsons belonged to Mel Speegle, who was renting a garage apartment in a guesthouse located on the Johnson's property. He was away over the weekend and had not yet returned home on the day of the murders. When questioned, he told police that the rifle was kept in an unlocked closet in his apartment.Infatuation and ObsessionSarah Johnson was described by neighbors and friends as a sweet girl who enjoyed playing volleyball. But another Sarah had emerged over the summer months. One that seemed infatuated and obsessed with her 19-year-old boyfriend Bruno Santos Dominguez.

Sarah and Dominguez had been dating for three months prior to the murder of her parents. The Johnsons did not approve of the relationship because Dominguez was 19 and an undocumented Mexican immigrant. He also had a reputation for being involved in drugs.