Mischa Johnson (U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division).
A member of the U.S. Army has been charged with killing his pregnant and newlywed wife who went missing from a barracks in Hawaii last summer, the armed forces announced this week.
Mischa Mabeline Kaalohilani Johnson, 19, was last seen on the night of July 31, 2024, inside her home on the Schofield Barracks in Oahu, according to the Army Criminal Investigation Division. She was reported missing the next day, on Aug. 1, 2024.
Her soldier husband, Private First Class Dewayne Arthur Johnson II, was arrested on Aug. 2, 2024 — and placed in military pretrial confinement. Later that same month, he was charged with false official statements, obstruction of justice and production and distribution of child pornography, according to the Army. Those three initial charges “stemmed from the investigation into Johnson’s disappearance,” according to a statement obtained by Army Times.
In November 2024, the Army Office of Special Trial Council leveled new allegations against Johnson for his wife’s murder, for “intentionally” killing her unborn child, and for possession of child pornography, according to Task & Purpose and Military.com.
Now, five charges and 19 specifications have formally been “referred” against Johnson under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) — a complete set of rules akin to criminal law for members of the U.S. military.
In sum, the soldier now stands accused of the six-month pregnant woman’s murder, intentionally killing her unborn child, obstruction of justice, providing false official statements, possession of child pornography and production and distribution of child pornography, the Army announced in a Tuesday press release.
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The defendant waived his right to an Article 32 preliminary hearing — essentially the UCMJ version of a pretrial hearing on sufficiency of evidence. Now, the prosecution will move forward with arraignment, other hearings, and a general court-martial, the Army said.
“Mischa Johnson is presumed deceased and her body has not been found,” the press release reads. “This case remains an ongoing investigation and Department of the Army [Criminal Investigation Division] continues to ask for the public’s assistance.”
The latest development is a long-awaited relief for the victim’s family.
“We have no control over these things, right? So we’re finally glad that the day is finally here, especially because we can now we can update the public,” Mischa Johnson’s sister told Honolulu-based Fox and The CW affiliate KHON. “I feel betrayed because, you know, we accepted him right into our family.”
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While details in the case are scarce, some information has trickled out.
The defendant was reportedly seen on surveillance footage purchasing tools and cleaning supplies, according to multiple anonymous sourced cited by Honolulu-based CBS affiliate KGMB, NBC affiliate KHN, and Telemundo affiliate KFVE — television stations which collectively operate under the banner of Hawaii News Now.
That same report revealed Mischa Johnson was expecting a baby girl.
“And now we just wait on a date for arraignment, which we will be present for in person,” the victim’s sister told KHON.
