Hawaii-based soldier to face military trial in the suspected death of his pregnant wife

HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii-based soldier faces charges in military court in connection with the suspected killing of his pregnant wife, the Army said Wednesday. His wife’s body has not been found.

The charges against Pfc. Dewayne Arthur Johnson II stem from the disappearance of his wife, Mischa Johnson, last year, U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii said in a news release. The 19-year-old was last seen on July 31 at her home on Schofield Barracks, an Army installation on Oahu, when she was six months pregnant. She is presumed dead, the Army said.

The Army said the “general nature of the charges” are for the killing of his wife, intentionally killing her unborn child and obstruction of justice. Other charges involve providing false official statements, possession of child sexual abuse images and the production and distribution of child sexual abuse images, the Army said.

The Army took Johnson into custody in August. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had a civilian attorney. A phone number listed for him rang unanswered Wednesday.

Johnson, from Frederick, Maryland, is a calvary scout. He enlisted in the Army and attended training at Fort Moore, Georgia, in November 2022. He was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division in 2023.

Johnson’s case will be assigned to a military judge who will schedule dates for an arraignment, pretrial hearings and a trial, the Army said. Charging documents will be available after Johnson is arraigned, according to a spokesperson for the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.

By AUDREY McAVOY
Associated Press