Aunt Who Hid Bodies Of Niece, Nephew In Her Car Sentenced To Prison

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — A Baltimore County woman will spend 50 years in prison for charges stemming from the deaths of her niece and nephew, whose decomposing bodies were found by police in the trunk of her car.

Nicole Johnson, 36, was sentenced in court this week to a life sentence with all but 50 years suspended, according to a Baltimore Sun report and Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger. She was also ordered to serve five years of probation upon her release, obtain mental health treatment and refrain from having contact with children under 18.

Johnson's sentencing came six months after she pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree child abuse resulting in death, according to court records.

Johnson was arrested in July 2021 in connection with the deaths of her niece and nephew, siblings 7-year-old Joshlyn Johnson and 5-year-old Larry O’Neill III. The bodies of both children were found in Johnson's vehicle after she was stopped for speeding on Eastern Boulevard near Wagners Lane in Essex.

According to charging documents, Johnson drove around with the body of her niece in her trunk for more than a year. Months later, Johnson put Joshlyn's younger brother in the trunk beside the little girl's decomposing body.

The Baltimore Sun previously noted that during the traffic stop, police discovered Johnson's car had a fake temporary tag and registration. She also had been driving without a license.

When the officer issued a citation for Johnson to appear in court and told her the car would have to be towed, Johnson supposedly told the officer, “It don’t matter, I won’t be here in five days,” and “Y’all going to see me on the news making my big debut.”

As soon as the officer cleared out the trunk so the car could be towed, he smelled decomposition coming from plastic bags in the trunk, reports said. One body was found in a suitcase, the other inside a plastic tote. When the officer found the first body, Johnson tried to run.

At the time of their death, the 7-year-old weighed 18 pounds and the 5-year-old weighed 21 pounds, authorities said. Deputy State’s Attorney Lisa Fox Dever said that Joshlyn had been dead for about a year before her body was found, according to the Sun.

Johnson later told police she was staying at the Regal Inn in Rosedale when she hit Joshlyn several times and the little girl hit her head on the floor. Johnson then put the little girl's body in the suitcase in her car.

According to charging documents, Larry told Johnson he was tired, laid down to sleep and never woke up, so she put his body in a tote and placed it next to his sister's body in the trunk.

The children belonged to Johnson's sister, Dachelle Johnson, who she said asked her to look after them in 2019. Dachelle Johnson told police she had tried to get in contact with her sister after leaving them in her care but never heard back.

The Sun previously reported that Dachelle Johnson had been unable to find her sister or her children until police notified her of their deaths.