GONZALES - The estranged husband of a domestic violence victim has entered a guilty plea in Ascension Parish to murdering his wife.  

David Johnson will be sentenced to life in prison, when sentencing happens in early September. Johnson's plea comes as the Ascension Parish District Attorney's Office was ready to move forward with jury selection following the August 2015 killing.

According to the the district attorney's office, Monica Johnson was found dead in the back yard of the home with severe wounds to the head and face.

Investigators found the murder weapon in a ditch just outside the house.

David was tracked down in West Baton Rouge Parish several hours after the killing at a convenience store. During questioning he admitted to beating his estranged wife with a baseball bat, and then strangling her.

The victim was already leery of her estranged husband, due to a prior incident that happened after Johnson tried to strangle her in an argument about a cell phone.

It resulted in Monica getting a restraining order.

According to David, he waited 2 hours after friends and family left the home following a party. He entered the home through the back yard. The victim's two young kids watched the attack, one of them was struck during the incident.

Prosecutors say David made several calls to family and co-workers telling them of the attack on Monica.