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Sarah
Marie JOHNSON |
Authorities seized several boxes of ammunition from Speegle's
home. The only fingerprints
identified on the ammo belonged to
Speegle, although a fingerprint analyst testified
she could not say
when the print was made.
Diane Johnson was still in bed, under the covers, when she was
shot at about 6:20 a.m.
In the defendant's statements to police and family members after
the incident, Sarah gave
conflicting accounts of whether her
parents' door was open when she emerged from
her room after hearing
a shot ring out.
Authorities seized these live .264 Winchester Magnum rounds from
the closet in the guesthouse
behind the Johnson home, from which the
murder weapon was also obtained.
This shell casing was found at the foot of the bed where Diane
Johnson lay dead. It was linked
to the murder weapon, a bolt-action
.264 Winchester Magnum, a high-velocity rifle that
the shooter would
have had to reload rapidly in order to fire shots at both victims.
Police found Mel Speegle's .22-caliber rifle in the garage
located below the apartment he
rented from the Johnsons. He
testified he last saw the rifle in his closet.
Prosecutors believe the pink bath robe belonging to Sarah that
was found in the Johnson's
garbage, spattered with her parents'
blood, usually hung here in her bathroom.
Trace evidence analyst William Schneck compared particles found
on Sarah Johnson's robe
with particles found on a T-shirt she wore
the morning of the shootings.
Two weeks before the murders, the Johnsons hosted a wedding for
Alan's brother. The guest
book and wedding decorations can be seen
here in the Johnsons' kitchen.
Police found a pregnancy test in a garbage can outside the
Johnson home, among other
evidence, including Sarah's pink bathrobe,
which was stained with her mother's blood,
and a discarded latex
glove bearing Sarah's DNA.
This picture of Sarah Johnson arriving at her parents' memorial
service ran in a local newspaper.
A jailhouse informant testified
the picture angered Sarah because it made her look
like she was
smiling.
Judge Barry Wood moved the trial to neighboring Ada County after
about 75 percent of potential
jurors in Blaine County were
disqualified because they said they knew the family too well,
already
believed Sarah was guilty, or cited financial hardship that
would prevent them from serving.
Convicted felon Malinda Gonzales described her experiences
sharing a jail cell with Sarah Johnson.
According to Gonzales, Sarah
said, "When I killed... ," before correcting herself and saying
"When the killers...". According to Gonzales, Sarah also said that
for her 17th birthday,
she wanted to be released from jail to get a
massage and spa treatment.
Blood spatter expert Rod Englert testified that he believed the
distribution of Diane and Alan
Johnson's blood on Sarah's pink robe
was only possible if the killer wore the robe backwards.
Sarah
Johnson voluntarily excused herself from the testimony due to the
graphic content.
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