Hawaii soldier dismembered pregnant wife with chainsaw and left body to be incinerated

Pfc. Dewayne Johnson II used a chainsaw to dismember his wife's corpse and placed the parts into trash bags, which he then disposed of in a dumpster. He even participated in search parties across Hawaii

A US Army soldier has been locked up for killing his pregnant wife with a machete before dismembering her body and trying to discard it in an incinerator.

Pfc. Dewayne Johnson II confessed earlier this week to charges of voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice, and making false official statements. He has now been sentenced to 23 years behind bars.

His spouse, Mischa Johnson, was 19 years old and six months pregnant when she died on July 12, 2024. Her remains have yet to be recovered.

Johnson, a member of the 25th Infantry Division, told the military court at Schofield Barracks on Oahu that he struck his wife with a machete during a heated dispute, as reported by KITV.

He claimed he lost control after she screamed that his child would never know him. After delivering a blow to her head, she ceased breathing and had no pulse. He insisted that killing her was not his intention.

"I couldn't picture my life without my child," he expressed remorsefully. "I regret, I shouldn't have done it."

To obscure the evidence of his crime, he used a chainsaw to dismember his wife's corpse and placed the parts into trash bags, which he then disposed of in a dumpster associated with his unit. He believed that the waste from there was directly incinerated.

Johnson reported his wife missing on July 31, a significant delay considering she had been deceased for over two weeks. He even participated in search parties across Oahu.

His arrest for her murder came on August 27 when Army investigators discovered blood, DNA, and other incriminating evidence in his residence.

Prosecutors have stated that Johnson, hailing from Frederick, Maryland, has been handed the stiffest sentence permissible by law. In exchange for his guilty plea, charges related to child sexual abuse imagery were dismissed.

Johnson will be demoted to the rank of private, stripped of his pay and benefits, and receive a dishonorable discharge. His incarceration will take place at a military penitentiary in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Marianna Tapiz expressed to KITV the shock and agony upon learning the fate of her sister.

"As a family together, we're just trying not to focus on the horrific details of her last moment with him," Tapiz remarked. "And instead, right now, we're trying to just remember the happy memories that we have and remember her in that life."

Army prosecutor Lt. Col. Nicholas Hurd conveyed his hope that the judicial process would aid the family's healing journey.

"While no amount of confinement will ever be able to truly ease the pain of the loss of Ms. Johnson and her unborn child for her family and friends, it is my hope that Pfc. Johnson's admissions of guilt and the information he provided as part of the plea agreement can provide some element of closure and finality for the family and all stakeholders," Hurd commented in his statement.