New details into Facebook killing investigation

"Apparently, the guy attempted to carjack my neighbor's contractor while wearing a bloody shirt and knife but ran away because the contractor had a hammer.”

Unfiltered with Kiran has pieced together a better timeline now of what all possibly happened before and after the stabbing death that was streamed live on Facebook.

It appears Earl Lee Johnson Jr., 35, allegedly stabbed Janice David, 34, before 2pm on Monday, April 18, 2022 in Baton Rouge, La. That killing was streamed live on Facebook with multiple sources saying the full video lasts about 15 minutes. Sources also confirmed David was stabbed over a dozen times to her head and several other stab wounds all over her body. Johnson then allegedly tried to set the vehicle on fire, but did not succeed.

MAP OF JOHNSON’S MOST LIKELY WHEREABOUTS

After that, the map above outlines the path it appears Johnson took. The vehicle with David’s naked body & her hands tied up was found in the 3600 block of S. Sherwood Forest. Tracking Johnson’s whereabouts after the killing through sources & neighbors, it appears Johnson ran through the Afton Oaks neighborhood for incidents outlined above on Newcastle & Schlayer avenues and eventually into Woodland Ridge.

“My wife came home early and we had gone out and saw a shoe. I was taking the trash out and this strange blue shoe was outside. I sent the picture to my son asking if it was his or his girlfriend’s. We just didn’t think much of it,” said a neighbor who lives on Newcastle Ave. in Afton Oaks. He spoke on the basis of anonymity.

MUDDY SHOE THE NEIGHBOR FOUND

That was between 2:00-2:30pm according to the neighbor. He said around 5:30pm, they took their dog for a walk in their neighborhood.

“Towards the back of the neighborhood, there were a lot of police cars and neighbors out and about talking. We thought it was a domestic and continued our walk. Then two police cars sped off in opposite directions and the third police car did a U-turn and stayed and kept guard while another officer went towards the back of his car and got an assault rifle. At that point, we left to go back home,” said the neighbor. “I just thought it was a domestic dispute from what I saw at that moment. The Facebook killer would not have been the first thing I thought.”

Later that night, he said the Homeowner’s Association put out an email telling everyone there had been an attempted home break-in & attempted carjacking.

“Both incidents occurred late this afternoon around 5:00 at two houses on Schlayer Ave. The houses are next door to each other, and it is presumed that the same individual is responsible for both incidents. The suspect ultimately stole a vehicle in Woodland Ridge on Woodshire and was eventually apprehended by the police after driving erratically and causing several accidents. The police stated that they received at least nine calls regarding incidents involving the same individual.”

“I saw the email the next morning. I didn’t think it was a barefoot dude running around with a knife fleeing a murder scene. I assumed it was someone looking for drugs or kids with carjackings nowadays,” said the neighbor. “My wife is concerned about the crime. She said there are some panhandlers and homeless by the interstate that no one appears to be doing anything about so we just assumed it was that crime.”

In talking to other neighbors, they pieced together that the suspect, most likely Johnson, lost one shoe in one location and the other one while running through another neighbor’s backyard and fence.

NEIGHBOR’S FENCE DAMAGED IN AFTON OAKS

“I had no idea he had run by our house. I still didn’t know about the shoe. One of my neighbors mentioned he had run through his yard and left a muddy shoe,” said the neighbor. “Apparently, the guy attempted to carjack my neighbor’s contractor while wearing a bloody shirt and knife but ran away because the contractor had a hammer.”

It wasn’t till later in the day on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 that everyone in the neighborhood & HOA figured out the man going through Afton Oaks & Woodland Ridge was Earl Lee Johnson Jr., the man who admitted to officers he stabbed & killed David while on a Facebook live.   

“This is crazy. That’s actually crazier than all the murders that have been going on,” said the neighbor. “We thought it was safe where we were and the crime was contained to certain areas. We’ve had some minor things here with a break-in here or there or vandalism but this was some next level stuff. This was very disturbing. It’s just crazy. There’s a lack of humanity it seems these days, criminals out of their mind & eager to make their fame on Facebook. They’re going on crime sprees without any repercussions.”    

“It doesn’t seem like there’s a plan here. We’re all just waiting to be victims. It’s a matter of ‘when’ if someone doesn’t change course. There has to be some kind of change,” the neighbor added.

Because Johnson was injured, he went to an area hospital. Sources said while there, Johnson started telling the hospital staff that he had stabbed and killed someone. Staff at the hospital assumed he may be a mental health patient and were waiting on a psychiatrist to come see Johnson.

Around the same time, a deputy with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office had already been alerted by the State Police’s Fusion Center about the Facebook live video and murder. Someone who watched the video live reported it to Facebook who turned it over to the Louisiana State Police. That deputy had already seen the video so when he saw Johnson, he told the hospital staff that what the man was saying was actually the case. Sources said that’s when Johnson told the deputy everything he allegedly did and the location of the car where David’s body was found on S. Sherwood Forest Blvd.

When deputies arrived to S. Sherwood Forest Blvd. around 10pm on Monday night, they realized the scene was within the city limits of Baton Rouge and handed the case over to BRPD.

An autopsy is expected on David today, April 20, 2022 but most likely, results of that autopsy will not be released till Thursday.

Meanwhile, Johnson was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Tuesday on one count of first-degree murder. He is being held without bond because a first-degree murder charge does not get bond.

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About Kiran Chawla 1555 Articles
With over 20 years of experience in journalism, I ventured off to launch a new concept: 100% digital media news and called it Unfiltered with Kiran. What started as a single person launching a dream has now turned into a team with extremely dedicated journalists. We, as a team, are proud to serve each and every one of you!

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