Erica Michelle Marie Green
May 15, 1997 - April 28, 2001
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Born May 15, 1997, Erica Michelle Marie
Green was brought into this world within the confines of a prison in Oklahoma.
Born to two parents Larry and Michelle green, with drug problems Erica
was from her mother and given to a woman named Betty Brown. Erica rarely
saw her real father and eventually would be with
her mother when she got out of prison.
Three years later, on April 28, 2001 when the decapitated
body of a child was found, no one would know who the child was for four
years. Attempts to discover who the child was were not successful, though
police were able to rule out the possibility the body was that of a missing
2 year old named |
Teekah Lewis, from Tacoma, Washington.
A white cross was placed near the entrance of the
wooded area where the child's body was found. Six feet into the woods was
the body of the, then unknown, child.
On August 31, 2001 when a computer generated sketch
didn't bring any identification even with the case being featured on "America's
Most Wanted" three times, a bust was created from the child's skull by
artist Frank Bender from Philadelphia.
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Betty Brown had raised Erica since her birth until
her mother and her stepfather Harrell Johnson took her to Kansas City,
Missouri in April of 2001. The three moved in with Harrell's cousin, Lawanda
Driskell who said that Erica was homesick for Betty Brown and cried a lot.
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"I may be wrong, but, I feel that baby was
crying wanting
to come home and they probably couldn't stop
her from crying."
Betty Brown
Lawanda would say later that Erica had been beaten
by her stepfather, quite often:
"We could hear her screaming in the back bedroom."
She said that Harrell would "beat the child
for crying, for
peeing on herself, if she wouldn't eat, whatever"
Lawanda also said that at one point she heard Harrell
tell Michelle
"You better go take care of your
daughter, or I'm going to do something bad."
If this is true, why didn't Lawanda call the police
or an agency designed to help abused children? Another story of people
failing to protect a child and another story of a mother allowing her new
boyfriend/husband to abuse her child to death. Just days after arriving
in Kansas City, Erica Michelle Marie Green would be dead even though it
could have been prevented if someone had cared enough to help her. A week
later there was a loud bang from Erica's bedroom and for two days after
that, Harrell kept the bedroom door closed and said that Erica was sick.
Lawanda is sure this is when Erica was killed.
After the body of the then unknown child was found,
her head was found near the same area, wrapped in a trash bag. Police concluded
that the head had been cut off with hedge clippers. Michelle Green helped
hand out fliers about the girl and cried at a candle light vigil that was
held for her.
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Shortly after that, Michelle left Kansas city and
told Lawanda she was returning Erica to Betty Brown. Several weeks later,
Lawanda told Michelle that she thought the unknown child looked like Erica,
to which Michelle replied"
"Oh, no. I have Erica here with me"
Lawanda said that Michelle had always been able
to come up with excuses for any situation and people just believed her.
On December 8, 2001, Precious Doe was laid to rest
in Memorial Park
Cemetery which is located not far from the area
where her body was found. Below is a picture of the headstone she was given
at that time.
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On July 15, 2003, the body of this precious little
Angel was exhumed and taken to Louisiana so that it can be sculpted in
order to get a better likeness of the child during her life. Police then
circulated images of what the child looked like.
On April 29, 2005 the police as well as community
activists received a tip from a man saying he had not seen his granddaughter
for several years called in referring to a newspaper ad that had been placed
by Alonzo Washington who is a community activist and missing child advocate
in Kansas, City. The man also said he knew who the missing child was and
who had killed her. Then on May 5, 2005 the police announce that they knew
who Precious doe is:
In May 2005, a man who said he had not seen his
granddaughter for several years responded to a newspaper ad placed by Alonzo
Washington, a Kansas City-based community activist and missing-child advocate.
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"The little girl we have known for four years
as Precious Doe, has a name. Erica Michelle Marie Green.
Chief James Corwin - Kansas City Police Department
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Erica's head was discovered
by a retired post office work, Army Sergeant name Billy Stegall:
"This is a day I have
been looking for. I just asked the Lord
to say who she is so
she could be at peace, because she
wasn't at peace and
I wasn't at peace."
Billy has gone back to that
site many times in order to pray.
Alonzo Washington, a community activist, had never
given up the search for who the unknown child was. When asked: "Mr. Washington
why was it so important for you to relentlessly pursue answers in this
case over the last four years, to not let the story of this little girl
fade away," he said this:
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"Well, it was important because in this city
I wanted to make this case different. You know, we're used to homicides
and
that's a sad commentary in itself. However,
when you find a
child decapitated and you throw away the
head and the boy
like it's garbage...I wanted to create memorials,
wanted to do vigils to make, uh, everybody in this city always remember
that something this horrible has happened and to always search for justice
for this child."
Alonzo Washington - Community Activist
Michelle Johnson was arrested in Oklahoma and charged
with murder and endangering the life of a child. Harrell Johnson was also
being held in Oklahoma, though no charges were immediately brought against
him. At that time, police say that Michelle told them Harrell had killed
Erica with a kick to her head and then had decapitated her with the hedge
clippers.
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"For the last four years every time I walked,
uh, drive by
that area, I just continue to think Lord
when are you
gonna provide some closure to us? And today
we
have that closure"
Terry Riley - Kansas City Councilman
In October of 2008, Michelle Johnson, who was 29
years old, testified in court against Harrell Johnson. Michelle said that
she had know that her daughter needed medical attention and that fear of
going to jail caused her to allow her to just lay there and die. Michelle
said that she had watched as Harell kicked Erica in the head and she fell
to the floor. Harrell was high on drugs at the time:
"He just picked up his feet and kicked her
on the side of the
face. I said, 'What the (expletive) did you
do?' It shook
him out of his high"
Michelle then picked Erica up and put her into a
cold bath in hopes of
reviving her. The cold bath didn't work so she
placed Erica on the
bedroom floor. At times during her testimony, Michelle
held back her
tears as she talked about the last hours of the
life of her daughter who she called "Little E".
Michelle said it seemed like Erica laid on the floor
for days, though
Harrell said it was only a few hours. Both of them
knew that if they
did not get her to a hospital, she would die, that
they knew Erica was
in need of help and they were afraid to get it
for her:
"We wasn't going to get it. Because we both
was on the
run from police"
Erica continued to lay on the floor without any
help:
"I was on the floor with her. I was singing
her favorite
song to her, which was a Barney song. "I
kissed her. I
was asking God to let my daughter live and
to take me"
After Erica died, they waited until it was dark
to dispose of her body.
They didn't want any of the neighbors to see what
they were doing.
Michelle went with Harrell as he carried Erica's
body along with a bag
and the hedge clippers into the woods. Michelle
could not explain the
reason why they took her clothes off:
"He handed her clothes to me and I left"
Michelle says that she was not there when Harrell
decapitated Erica.
According to her, Harrell told her later that he
had decapitated her
and put her head into the trash at a church. Later,
they returned and
moved Erica's head from the trash to the woods
fearing that members of the church would find it.
The defense rested after not calling any witnesses
and though they did admit that Harrell kicked Erica in the head, they said
that he should
not be convicted of first degree murder since it
was not something he
did with premeditation.
Harrell Johnson was convicted of first degree murder
and endangering the welfare of a child as well as abusing a child. Judge
John Torrence gave him a sentence of four years and 25 years for the two
charges of endangering a child and abusing a child. On October 8, 2008
Harrell Johnson was again in court and found guilty of first degree murder.
Harrell was sentenced to life in prison with the first sentence will run
consecutively with the life sentence. He will never be eligible for parole.
Michelle Johnson plead guilty to second degree murder
charges after she testified against Harrell. Michelle claimed he was high
on drugs when he kicked Erica in the head and threw her on the floor because
she didn't want to go bed when he wanted her to. Michelle also plead guilty
to a charge of child endangerment, abandoning a corpse and tampering with
evidence since she failed to help her daughter as she lay dying on the
floor. For her plea and for testifying against Harrell, prosecutors were
going to make a recommendation of her serving only 25 years. Michelle's
trial was set to start on January 22, 2009.
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"You know what, I think it brings some sense
of closure and
some sense of relief to the community, to
know that, uh, we've charged the individuals in this case, we've identified
her. The last four years has been very difficult for this community and
this is a real testament to the law enforcement community working together
to make sure
that we have these two people in custody
and that we'll be seeing them in court here, fairly soon"
Mike Sanders - Jackman County Prosecution.
Erica was buried a second time in 2005, In Kansas
City, Missouri in
Memorial Park Cemetery which is in Jackson County
and below is her
new headstone.
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Update:
On October 22, 2008, Michelle Green was sentenced
to 25 years in
prison. Michelle was sentenced to exactly what
the Jacson County
Prosecutors had recommended. In courth, Michelle
had the nerve to
say she was sorry. Marcie Williams from the "Precious
Doe" committee
had this to say:
"You married the man that murdered your child.
How
could anybody have sympathy for you"
"She married him. She had more kids by him.
I think
what she said today, it's probably some guilt,
but I
don't think there's remorse there, not by
a long shot
do I believe she's remorseful at all"
As well as saying she was sorry, Michelle thanked
the community for
adopting Erica, for giving her a name and for burying
her. Judge John
R. O'Malley said there is no closer departure from
humanity than when a mother murders her own child.
Harrell said in court:
"Never once have I harmed a hair on her head
or
did anything to hurt her. God knows my little
angel,
Erica, knows the truth. And I ain't gonna
stop fighting
until I prove my innocence and the truth
is brought to
the light"
Does this man even remember ADMITTING to
kicking her in the head? It seems like he doesn't consider that harming
her.
From a prison in Vandalia, Michelle spoke about
the death of Erica:
"When I close my eyes, I see it"
"I heard my daughter take her last breath.
And I just
told her that, 'I'm going to take care of
her sisters
and brothers and do what I can do for them,
what I
couldn't do for her"
"I ask myself everyday, 'Why, why didn't I
help her.'
That's a mother's instinct to protect her
child. Why
didn't I do what I was supposed to do for
my child?
No drugs, no man, nothing should be more
important
than your child"
Michelle STILL insists she was not there
when Harrell cut off Erica's
head, though the Harrell and papers say she was:
"I have so many questions, and only he can
answer. Like 'Why, just why?' Why did he feel like cutting her head off?
I mean, in the newspapers they say that I
was down
there when this happened. I wasn't down there"
She says she did go back the next day and move Erica's
head to the
woods, with Harrell:
"That's why they think I'm so, a monster.
Yeah, I did
go back. Yeah I did. I'll admit that. "he
next day was garbage day. They would have picked it up. It would
have been in the Dumpster, in the sea. They
would
have never, never known who she was, never,
so yeah,
I went back."
"I just wanted my daughter to be known. I
wanted my daughter to have peace. I love my baby. I'll never be the same.
I just want her to have peace. I want her to go on. That's why I'm here,
because I'm admitting that I was wrong. I'm admitting that I didn't protect
her like a mother should. It's not about me. It's not about Harrell. It's
about my daughter. It's about closure for her"
If this were true, Michelle would NOT have
stood across the street
smiling and waving at cameras as a search for the
head of Erica was
taking place in the woods. When asked if she and
Harrell were still
married, she answered:
"What does it matter if I'm not or am? Will
I ever see
him again, probably not"
Michelle no longer blames Harrell for the death
of Erica:
"All these years, I caught myself putting
the blame on
him, but I can't. I truly can't, because
I just should have,
I should have died for my daughter. If it
came to choose,
I should have died for her. I let her down.
Everyday,
when I'm in my cell, I think about I wish
I could change
back time. I wish that she was here"
Once again, Michelle said she was greatful to the
community for what they gave to Erica, the things SHE had not given her.
The community
gave Erica her name back, they gave her love and
they gave her a
proper burial:
"I wanted everybody to know, she's not no
Doe. Doe is
somebody you don't know. She has, she has
a name"
Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar said about
Michelle:
"I know that she had a difficult background.
I know
she didn't have the advantages that a lot
of us enjoy in
life, but there are people that come into
this courtroom everyday with the same background, some more difficult circumstances
and they never resort to the type of criminal activity that she resorted
to, so it's not an excuse,
and no, I don't feel sorry for her"
Read
A News Story About The Detectives On The Case
For information about preventing child abuse in the
state of Missouri, click the links below. If they can't help you, ask for
someone who can. NEVER give up looking for help for an abused child!
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Call this number to report
child abuse ANY WHERE in the United States!
1-800-4-A-Child
1-800-422-4453
  
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