Arizona woman pleads guilty to poisoning husband's coffee, accepts reduced charge
An Arizona woman admitted in court to the repeated poisoning attempts in her husband's coffee over several months, leading to her accepting a lesser charge. The case unveils a disturbing plot of toxic manipulation within a marriage.
A woman in Arizona admitted this week that she tried to poison her husband's coffee daily for months. Court records revealed that Melody Felicano Johnson pleaded guilty to two counts of adding poison or a harmful substance to food or drink, instead of the original charge of attempted first-degree murder, as part of a plea deal at Pima County Superior Court.
She is looking at a maximum of 2 years in prison for each count, as stated in the minutes, and her sentencing is set for May 10.
Johnson’s lawyer, who is a public defender in Pima County, has not yet gotten back to CNN's request for comment.
Roby Johnson, the defendant's husband, informed investigators that he suspected his wife was attempting to harm him in order to receive death benefits. This information was revealed in a criminal report obtained by CNN affiliate KVOA last year. In March 2023, while stationed in Germany as an airman, Roby Johnson detected a strange taste in his coffee, as mentioned in the document.
Melody Felicano Johnson
Melody Felicano Johnson
Pima County Sheriff's Office
Related article
Arizona woman charged with trying to kill husband by poisoning coffee
The Johnsons were still living together with their child but were going through a divorce.
Roby Johnson shared with detectives that he used pool testing strips to find high chlorine levels in his coffee pot. He set up hidden cameras which captured Melody Johnson pouring bleach into a container and then pouring that mixture into the coffee maker, according to investigators.
Roby Johnson explained to investigators that he pretended to keep sipping his coffee to wait until they got back to Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson before reporting the incident to the police.
In August, Melody Felicano Johnson was charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempting to commit aggravated assault, and poisoning food or drink.
Editor's P/S:
The case of Melody Felicano Johnson, who admitted to poisoning her husband's coffee for months, is both shocking and disturbing. It is unimaginable to think that someone would intentionally try to harm their loved one in such a heinous manner. The fact that Johnson was motivated by financial gain, seeking death benefits, makes her actions even more reprehensible.
It is also concerning that the defendant was able to carry out her plan for so long without being detected. Johnson's husband, Roby, only became aware of the poisoning after he noticed a strange taste in his coffee and conducted his own investigation using pool testing strips and hidden cameras. This raises questions about the effectiveness of domestic violence prevention measures and the need for greater awareness and vigilance in identifying and reporting potential abuse.
