A Michigan mom who thought that SpongeBob had ordered her to brutally murder her three-year-old will spend the rest of her life behind bars.
Justine M. Johnson, 23, was handed a life sentence without the possibility of parole after she stabbed her daughter, Sutton Marie Mosser, 17 times on September 16, 2021 - two days after she celebrated her third birthday.
According to Law and Crime, prosecutors stated that on September 17, 2022, Johnson’s brother was in her home early at around 4 AM when he spotted a garbage bag with a child’s foot sticking out of it.
Her sibling immediately called 911 about the haunting scene and when the police arrived, they recovered Sutton's body from the trash bag but Johnson was nowhere to be found.
After four and a half hours of searching around for the mom, at around 8:30AM law enforcement located her walking on railroad tracks in the township.
Cops then took Johnson into custody and asked her questions regarding the body of her deceased daughter. She reportedly told them that she did not want to talk about anything, so she was placed under arrest.
During a preliminary hearing, Child Protective Services (CPS) Investigator Ryan Eberline testified that the mom "didn't remember the specifics of what happened" due to hallucinations induced by heroin withdrawal and lack of sleep, as cited by the outlet.
"She was getting hallucinations from the TV that had instructed her to take her daughter's life or they would kill her," he said. "It was SpongeBob who was saying these things on the TV. If she didn't do what she did to her daughter they would kill her. She said she was afraid for her life and she had lost her mind."
Last month, Johnson pleaded guilty to one count each of first-degree felony murder and first-degree child abuse in Sutton's death. Judge Riffel sentenced her to a maximum of 50 years on the child abuse charge, which is to be served concurrent to the life sentence.
Before her sentencing, she alleged she had been suffering from numerous mental health problems since her childhood and had been self-medicating with substances.
"At the age of 13 I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, bipolar, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), anxiety, and depression," she told the courtroom. "In 2021 I had been without mental medication for one year and had been abusing drugs that included meth and heroin."
The convicted killer also claimed that she suffered hallucinations before Sutton's death and couldn't remember her mom leaving her daughter alone with her or any details about the gruesome murder.
After finding out about the slaughter, she allegedly spent four months experiencing more hallucinations before mental health medication began working.
"I want everyone to know that I am full of remorse and wish every day that I could trade places with [my daughter]," Johnson said, adding that like "any mother," she wanted to see her child's killer face consequences for their actions.
"Any mother would want justice. I also want justice for Sutton," she continued. "If it was me who committed this murder I expect to be punished as any other person would be. It is what’s fair for her."
The mother closed her statement by requesting that the media write about her daughter with "the grace and respect she deserves," adding: "I love you, Sutton Marie."
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