Soldier Who 'Hates Himself' for Dismembering Pregnant Wife, Unborn Child with Chainsaw Learns Fate

A Hawaii-based U.S. Army soldier was sentenced to 23 years in prison on June 3 after he admitted that he killed his 19-year-old wife and unborn child in the midst of a heated argument — and then dismembered her body to cover up the crime.

Pfc Dewayne Johnson II, 29, pleaded guilty at a court-martial to voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice and providing false statements, according to a statement from the U.S. Army. He received the maximum sentence, plus a reduction in rank and a dishonorable discharge from the military. 

On July 12, 2024, Dewayne and his wife, Mischa Johnson, were at their home when they got into a heated argument, the Army statement said. In a military courtroom, Dewayne testified to the judge that he struck Mischa in the head with a machete that they had in their home.

The machete then got stuck in Mischa’s temple, Hawaii News Now reported. Dewayne eventually freed the machete from Mischa’s head and tried to dismember her corpse with it. He was unsuccessful in doing so and bought a chainsaw to dismember what remained of her body. 

Dewayne admitted in court to severing Mischa’s arms and legs from her head and torso, which he kept intact, per the local outlet. He then told the military judge that he separated Mischa’s body parts into three trash bags and put them in a dumpster on the military barracks, knowing they would later be incinerated. 

During the June 3 sentencing, Dewayne offered an apology to Mischa’s family, his own family and colleagues on his base, Hawaii News Now reported. “My wife didn’t deserve that. She wasn’t trash,” he said. “I hate myself for what I did, every day.”

Mischa’s remains and the remains of her unborn child have never been found, according to the statement from the U.S. Army. Both of their remains are presumed to have been transported to Hawaii’s trash incinerator. 

“While no amount of confinement will ever be able to truly ease the pain of the loss of Ms. Johnson and her unborn child for her family and friends, it is my hope that Pfc. Johnson’s admission of guilt and the information he provided as a part of the plea agreement can provide some element of closure,” Lt. Col. Nicholas Hurd, a prosecutor for the Seventh Circuit in the U.S. Army, said in a statement. 

Dewayne didn’t report Mischa missing to authorities until two weeks after he killed her, according to the U.S. Army statement. He even participated in community search parties across Hawaii to look for her. 

According to prosecutors, Dewayne had messaged 18 different women on a dating app and they found photos of him on his phone with another woman which showed him kissing and performing sexual acts on her, KTIV reported. 

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Mischa’s sister, Mariana Tapiz, spoke to Island News about how painful it was to hear about the details of how her sister was killed.

“As a family together, we’re just trying not to focus on the horrific details of her last moment with him. And instead, right now, we’re trying to remember the happy memories that we have and remember her in that life,” Tapiz said. 

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.