Juror Convict Corey Johnson After Stabbing a 13-Year-Old Boy, a Woman in a Florida Sleepover
Florida man Corey Johnson was found guilty of murdering a 13-year-old boy at a Florida sleepover party.
Johnson was 17 when he fatally stabbed Jovanni Sierra on March 12, 2018, during a sleepover in the city of Palm Beach Gardens, according to a Law and Crime report.
Jurors also convicted him of two counts of attempted first-degree murder for stabbing then-13-year-old Dane Bancroft and the boy's mother, Elaine Simon.
The victims were stabbed 32 and a dozen times, respectively.
The suspect had been a guest of Bancroft's 15-year-old brother at the home in the Ballenisles County Club gated community.
Johnson told authorities that he stabbed his friend, Sierra, 49 times due to the suspect's religious beliefs. Police said that Johnson told them that he killed because of his Muslim faith, according to an Orlando-Sentinel report.
Corey Johnson's Motives
Johnson said that he had followed the terrorist group ISIS on social media, which included watching videos of beheadings done by the extremist group.
Defense attorneys had entered an insanity plea but did not deny the attacks, according to an ABC News report. Johnson had reportedly suffered from severe depression had experienced being psychotic and delusional, according to his lawyers.
They added that their client was manipulated by extremist content, including violent propaganda videos from ISIS.
However, a psychologist who testified said that Johnson knew right from wrong when he attacked the victims.
Prosecutor Richard Clausi said that the facts were clear, noting that Johnson knew right from wrong and just decided to do it.
Clausi said that it is sad for everybody, but the verdict is what it should have been.
Johnson's relatives told police during the case investigation that the suspect was fascinated with dictators like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, according to a WPTV report.
They also said that Johnson had recently been studying the Quran.
Johnson told police that Sierra was idolizing famous people and was calling them gods, according to an arrest affidavit.
The suspect said that it was something that went against his Muslim faith. The affidavit added that Johnson felt that Bancroft made fun of his Muslim faith.
Johnson was reportedly reading the Quran from his phone to give him courage just before the attack.
The Florida man will be sentenced on January 4, 2022, and is seen to face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Palm Beach Gardens interim police Chief Clint Shannon said in 2018 that it was not a random act of violence, adding that all people involved in the incident knew each other.
Shannon said at the time that Johnson's alleged "violent tendencies" were the subject of a joint investigation, which included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to a CNN report in 2018.
A Palm Beach County sheriff's detective reached to Jupiter police, saying that the suspect had reached out to ISIS on the Internet and wanted to join the terrorist organization.
Johnson had denied affiliation to ISIS but said that he was supportive of militant cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.
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Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Corey Johnson found guilty of murdering 13-year-old boy during Palm Beach Gardens sleepover - from WPTV News - FL Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast