In the early hours of Monday 8 April, following a loud verbal altercation at their house in north Los Angeles, 34-year-old Danielle Johnson stabbed her associate and fled in a dark-coloured Porsche SUV along with her two younger youngsters.
Because the automotive sped down the 405 Freeway, Johnson abruptly pushed her youngsters out of the car and into the trail of oncoming site visitors. Her eight-month-old child was killed, however her nine-year-old sister survived the horrific occasions. Their mom later died after ploughing the automotive right into a tree.
Johnson, an astrology influencer and peddler of non secular cures, had just lately taken to social media to warn her intensive following of an impending “apocalypse” forward of the photo voltaic eclipse, which swept throughout North America and around the globe in a while Monday.
In erratic posts within the days main as much as the tragedy she advised individuals to get their hearts “in the precise place” and “decide a facet” forward of a “new world order”.
Police say that no situations of a home disturbance between Johnson and her 29-year-old boyfriend Jaelen Chaney had been reported beforehand and that the motive for the mother-of-two’s stunning actions was nonetheless unclear.
Here’s what we all know:
Who was Danielle ‘Ayoka’ Johnson?
Johnson – recognized on-line as Danielle Ayoka – was an astrology influencer and would-be non secular healer, claiming to be an authorized Reiki Grasp Trainer skilled in over 10 totally different “different therapeutic modalities.”
Based on her web site, she suffered a near-death expertise on the age of three, which “served as her ceremony of passage into Shamanism”. The location says she got here from a line of Indigenous Shaman and Drugs Ladies which brought on her “non secular items” to “blossom”.
She studied psychology on the undergraduate stage earlier than beginning her skilled profession.
Johnson started tutelage with a private healer in 2011, spending three years in coaching. From this, she claimed to have created a novel methodology of therapeutic that mixed her coaching along with her earlier data of “vitality, physics and psychology”.
She was additionally an aspiring musical artist – producing low-fi and digital music underneath the identify Ayoka.
The artist launched an album in 2020, adopted by a number of singles in 2021. The preferred observe, Weekend, has round 200,000 listens on Spotify.
Enterprise endeavours
Johnson’s private internet price is unknown, and it’s unclear to whom the Porsche SUV during which she made her determined escape belonged.
Her web site presents a wide range of companies akin to rituals, intuitive steerage, distant therapeutic and astrology. The varied “aura cleanses” vary in worth from $2.99 to $150 per thirty days, although different household and buddies packages had been out there.
She claimed to have subscribers worldwide, from the US and Canada to Japan, China, India, Australia, South Africa, West Africa, London, Korea, New Zealand, and Spain.
Johnson additionally operated a web page on the net procuring platform Etsy, underneath the username RichGirlMagic. Merchandise costs vary round $15 with over 800 recorded gross sales and 100 five-star opinions.
Merchandise listed on the web page embody different non secular and therapeutic therapies akin to audio tarot, guided meditation packages, and Zodiac therapeutic cleanses.
The Zodiac therapeutic cleanse is described as “a distant vitality work service that’s designed to assist every signal overcome the hurdles holding them again from their full potential”. The cleanses are “one-time use” and “robotically hyperlinks to your aura” as soon as bought.
Clients should buy the product once more in the event that they want to repeat it. Etsy at present states that the net store is “taking a brief break”.
Social media
Johnson had a large social media following, with hundreds of followers on varied platforms and greater than 100,000 followers on X, the place she posted recurrently.
In addition to posts about her personal merchandise, a few of her reposted articles pushed conspiracy theories about political occasions and the Covid-19 vaccine. A number of posts shared by Johnson had been marked as containing anti-Semitic content material.
Within the days earlier than the photo voltaic eclipse on 8 April, Johnson’s posts appeared to grow to be extra erratic, and she or he warned followers of an impending “apocalypse” – urging them to “decide a facet”.
The Eclipse and apocalypse
“This eclipse is the epitome of non secular warfare. Get your safety on and your coronary heart in the precise place,” she wrote on 4 April. “The world could be very clearly altering proper now and in the event you ever wanted to choose a facet, the time to do proper in your life is now. Keep sturdy you bought this.”
A day in a while 5 April, she wrote in all capitals: “Get up get up the apocalypse is right here. Everybody who has ears hear. Your time to decide on what you imagine is now. For those who imagine a brand new phrase is feasible for the individuals RT (retweet) now.
“There’s energy in alternative. There’s energy in alternative! Repost to make the selection for the collective.”
LAPD detectives investigating the incident on Monday advised The Related Press that whereas investigators have reviewed Johnson’s social media posts, they didn’t think about the eclipse to be a contributing think about her actions.
“We’ve taken all of the details we are able to, however with out having the ability to interview her and with out having one thing extra tangible than a put up on X, I don’t know the way a lot weight you can provide to anyone (saying) there’s an apocalypse and attribute it to one of the horrific murders we’ve had in LA,” LAPD Lt. Man Golan mentioned.
Following the incident different social media customers replied to Johnson’s pinned put up, warning of the apocalypse, and speculating over her psychological state – with some suggesting she was affected by “psychosis”.
What occurred to her youngsters?
Johnson’s nine-year-old daughter is the only survivor of their mom’s horrific killing spree. Based on witnesses, the kid witnessed the preliminary stabbing of her associate earlier than being thrown from the transferring car alongside along with her toddler sister.
The pair had been “forcibly pushed” from the car, with the woman holding the eight-month-old little one, Mr Golan mentioned. Authorities mentioned the toddler was killed by oncoming site visitors.
Good Samaritans discovered the kids on the freeway and known as 911. Emergency responders pronounced the newborn useless on the scene, and her older sister was transported to a hospital.
The surviving little one was later positioned within the custody of the Los Angeles County Division of Kids and Household Providers.
Based on Fox11, the kid’s father at present resides out of state, although could probably take custody of her. Specifics of the association stay unclear.
Who’s her boyfriend?
Police recognized the 29-year-old sufferer of Johnson’s rampage as her associate, Jaelen Allen Chaney, a former member of the US army, who had desires of changing into a weatherman.
Based on a 2020 army archive, Chaney was a senior airman with the 31 Munitions Squadron armament technician when he was stationed in Italy in December of that yr.
His brother Mark Chiricas mentioned Chaney checked in with him sporadically, and that he had travelled round Europe with Johnson whereas he was stationed on the market.
Mr Chiricas advised The Each day Mail his brother didn’t share particulars of his relationship, however had despatched a “regarding” message to him in November 2022 that mentioned he had been “coping with lots” however it was not “applicable” to share.
“The final message he despatched to me was (wishing) me a contented birthday,” Chiricas advised the outlet. “He was within the Air Power, however he had desires to grow to be a weatherman. He was identical to the remainder of us, making an attempt to have enjoyable and making an attempt to have a household.”
LAPD investigators mentioned that Chaney and Johnson had been relationship for round three years and had been residing collectively.
Mr Golan added that there had been no prior incidence of home violence ever reported between the couple, per CBS, although neighbours mentioned that on the night time of the incident they’d heard a loud argument coming from their house in Woodland Hills, a neighbourhood north of LA.
