Mom Admits to Killing Her Daughter Because ‘‘Spongebob Told Her to Do So’’

In her mind, it was either her or her daughter.

On the early morning of September 17th, 2021, a 23-year-old Michigan resident named Knesley Johnson had just finished his daily shift at work and was on his way back to his mother’s Oscoda Township residence when he came across a black garbage bag oddly placed near the house’s front porch.

After approaching the garbage bag, he suddenly spotted something that resembled a human foot sticking out of it.

Shocked by his discovery, Knesley immediately alerted the local authorities.

At about 3:50 a.m., two Oscoda Township police officers arrived on site to inspect the garbage bag.

What they found was beyond disturbing.

Inside the plastic bag lay the lifeless body of Knesley’s niece, Sutton M. Mosser, who had just turned three a few days prior to her death, along with a sweatshirt and a bloodstained pair of size 11 women’s pants.

The toddler had suffered multiple stab wounds in her neck, chest, and abdomen, with one large wound exposing part of the child’s small intestine.

Both Knesley Johnson and his 17-year-old brother, who was on scene at that moment, were detained for questioning.

The police later launched a search for 22-year-old Justine Johnson, Sutton’s mother and Knesley’s sister.

The search lasted for a couple of hours, but they eventually found Justine strolling along the Lake State Railway tracks north of Vaughn Trail, and she, too, was detained.

It’s worth noting that, at the time, the three siblings, together with little Sutton, were living in the same Oscoda Township residence, even though Justine had an apartment of her own elsewhere.

During his interview with police investigators, Justine’s and Knesley’s 17-year-old brother (whose name wasn’t publicly revealed) said that on September 16th, 2021, he woke up at about 6 p.m., went to the bathroom, and witnessed his sister doing drugs.

He then asked her where Sutton was, to which she allegedly replied by telling him to “mind his f***ing business,” a response which he claimed was not out of the ordinary.

After his interaction with Justine, the teen brother took a shower and left the house to visit a girl.

However, when he returned home at about 10:30 p.m., his sister was nowhere to be seen.

Investigators also tried interviewing Justine, but their initial attempts were unsuccessful.

The only helpful information she gave them was that she wore size 11 pants, corresponding with the pair of women’s pants found inside the plastic bag.

A lead detective stated that:

“Justine Johnson gave no reaction to the news of her daughter being deceased…she remained unemotional and calm and advised me that she did not wish to talk about the death of her daughter.”

However, a couple of days later, Justine opened up to Ryan Eberline, an investigator with Child Protective Services, on what had taken place on that fateful September day.

She allegedly told Eberline that on September 16th, 2021, she had left her mother’s house walking and passed out in a graveyard.

After waking back up, she went to her apartment, where she attempted to commit suicide.

She also added that she was experiencing hallucinations due to heroin withdrawal and hadn’t slept for approximately two weeks.

The final detail she pointed out was that her hallucinations mainly revolved around the Nickelodeon character, Spongebob, pressuring her to kill her daughter in exchange for her own life.

According to Eberline:

“She was getting hallucinations from the TV that had instructed her to take her daughter’s life or they would kill her. 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.”

Justine then claimed that her memory started becoming hazy after that point, leading to her not remembering her actions at the time of Sutton’s death.

Subsequent to Justine’s interview with Ryan Eberline, the police thoroughly investigated her apartment.

They discovered bloodstains scattered on items throughout the apartment, including the hallway closet door, the living room couches, and the bathtub.

They also confiscated three knives, one of which is believed to be the murder weapon.

On a preliminary exam that took place on February 4th, 2022, Justine was charged with felony murder and first-degree child abuse.

She is currently being held without bond.

A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for February 28th, 2022.

If convicted, she faces a possible life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Sources: Mlive, Mlive, Darik, Oxygen, CNN, People, NewYorkPost