Man formally charged in grisly murder that was livestreamed on social media
BATON ROUGE - A man who tied a woman to a car's steering wheel and then repeatedly stabbed her in a deadly attack that was broadcast on social media has been indicted for murder and a slew of other charges.
A grand jury indicted Earl Lee Johnson Jr., 35, in the April 18 killing of Janice David.
Police found David's body inside the abandoned car parked outside an office building on Sherwood Forest Boulevard. A Baton Rouge Police spokesperson said David was bound with jumper cables and had several stab wounds.
Investigators believe Johnson and the victim had been on a days-long "drug binge" before he killed her.
"Apparently they were involved in some drug usage together for a couple of days and the end result—as everyone has seen on Facebook Live—is a very gruesome, very evil act," BRPD spokesperson L'Jean McKneely said at the time.
After the livestreamed attack, Johnson allegedly tried to set fire to the car with the victim still inside. He's then accused of stealing another vehicle and leading police on a chase which ended in a wreck.
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Johnson's full charges include first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, obstruction of justice, theft of a motor vehicle and aggravated flight from an officer.