The murder of Diane and Alan Scott Johnson occurred on September 2, 2003. They were shot to death in their

Bellevue, Idaho Bellevue is a city in Blaine County in the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 2,287 at the 2010 census, up from 1,876 in 2000.

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to: Placenames Australia * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales Canada ...

, and attended Wood River High School in Hailey.

History

On September 2, 2003, Alan Scott Johnson and Diane Johnson were shot to death in their

Bellevue, Idaho Bellevue is a city in Blaine County in the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 2,287 at the 2010 census, up from 1,876 in 2000.

, home. Alan was shot twice in the chest, while Diane was shot in the head. Their daughter, Sarah Johnson, was found guilty of their murder. Sarah was 16 years old at the time. Her apparent motive was her parents' prohibiting her from

dating Dating is a stage of romantic relationships in which two individuals engage in an activity together, most often with the intention of evaluating each other's suitability as a partner in a future intimate relationship. It falls into the categor ...

a 19-year-old drug dealer named Bruno Santos. At approximately 6:20 am on September 2, 2003, Johnson took the murder weapon, a .264-caliber

Winchester Model 70 The Winchester Model 70 is a bolt-action sporting rifle. It has an iconic place in American sporting culture and has been held in high regard by shooters since it was introduced in 1936, earning the moniker "The Rifleman's Rifle". The action has s ...

bolt-action rifle Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt (firearms), bolt via a cocking handle, bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are r ...

from the guest house. The tenant of the house had left for

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

, and had not planned on returning for a week or so. She then walked into her parents' bedroom and shot her sleeping mother in the head, whereupon she walked into the bathroom and shot her father in the chest, right above the heart, while he was showering. DNA evidence was presented at trial from a discarded bathrobe and a latex glove that police found in the garbage can in front of the house. It contained the DNA of both victims and Sarah. Along with the robe and latex glove was a

leather glove A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves usually have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb. If there is an opening but no (or a short) covering sheath for each finger they are called fingerless gloves. Fingerless glov ...

that had

gunshot residue Gunshot residue (GSR), also known as cartridge discharge residue (CDR), gunfire residue (GFR), or firearm discharge residue (FDR), consists of all of the particles that are expelled from the muzzle of a gun following the discharge of a bullet. It ...

on it. In Johnson's bedroom, investigators located the other leather glove that belonged to the pair. Johnson was convicted of the murders of her parents by an

Ada County, Idaho Ada County is located in the southwestern part of Idaho, United States. As of the 2021 United States census estimate, the county had a population of 511,931, making it by far the state's most populous county; it is home to 26.8% of the state's ...

, jury on March 16, 2005. She was sentenced to two concurrent life without parole terms plus fifteen years for a firearm enhancement. The

Idaho Supreme Court The Idaho Supreme Court is the state supreme court of Idaho and is composed of the chief justice and four associate justices. The decisions of the Idaho Supreme Court are binding on all other Idaho state courts. The only court that may reverse ...

upheld her conviction. In 2012, Johnson's lawyer filed a petition for a new trial, charging that she had ineffective legal counsel in the murder trial. They also cited the absence of any blood spatter on Johnson and the fact that fingerprints on the murder weapon matched those of a renter who was living in the family's guesthouse. In October 2014, the request was denied. In 2017, Sarah tried to get her life sentence reduced, citing the ''

Miller v. Alabama ''Miller v. Alabama'', 567 U.S. 460 (2012), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that ''mandatory'' sentences of life without the possibility of parole are unconstitutional for juvenile offenders. The ruling applied even ...

'' and ''

Montgomery v. Louisiana ''Montgomery v. Louisiana'', 577 U.S. ___ (2016), was a Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that its previous ruling in ''Miller v. Alabama'' (2012), that a mandatory life sentence without p ...

'' Supreme Court rulings; however, her sentence was upheld. Johnson is currently imprisoned in the Pocatello Women's Correctional Center.https://www.idoc.idaho.gov/content/prisons/offender_search/detail/77613/

Media

The case has been featured in a number of films, television shows and other works:

Film and television

*'' Solved'' (

Investigation Discovery Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Ameri ...

) *''

Suburban Secrets ''Suburban Secrets'' is a 2007 in television, 2007 United States, American non-fiction television series created by truTV. It is produced bSirens Media The show is described as being a cross between ''City Confidential'' and ''Desperate Housewives ...

'' (

TruTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows. The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that focu ...

) *''

Murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

'' (

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was o ...

) *''

Snapped ''Snapped'' is an American true crime television series produced by Jupiter Entertainment. The series depicts high profile or bizarre cases of women accused of murder. Each episode outlines the motivation for murder, whether it be revenge agains ...

'' (

Oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...

) *''

Deadly Women ''Deadly Women'' is an American true crime documentary television series produced by Beyond International Group and airing on the Investigation Discovery (ID) network. The series focuses on murders committed by women. It is hosted by former ...

'' (

; episode "Lethal Vengeance") *''Primetime: Crime'' (

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

) - edited into an episode of Investigation Discovery's 20/20 on ID in 2014 *''

Forensic Files ''Forensic Files'', originally known as ''Medical Detectives'', is an American documentary television program that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness. The show was origi ...

'' (TruTV) *''Too Young to Kill: 15 Shocking Crimes'' ( E!) *''

Killer Women ''Killer Women'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from January 7 to March 25, 2014. The series is based on the Argentine crime drama '' Mujeres Asesinas'', which was adapted into an American setting by writer Hannah ...

'' (

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

) *''

Corrupt Crimes Bellum Entertainment Group (formerly ''LongNeedle Entertainment'') was a Burbank, California, Burbank, California-based television production and distribution company. Bellum developed, produced, and distributed TV projects for broadcast, cable, ...

'' (

Syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

)

Other

*''Small Town Murder Ep. 67'' (podcast) *''Let's Go to Court Ep. 210'' (podcast) Sword and Scale PLUS Ep.114 (podcast)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Diane and Alan 2003 in Idaho 2003 murders in the United States American murder victims Bellevue, Idaho Deaths by firearm in Idaho Deaths by person in Idaho Minors convicted of murder Murder committed by minors Parricides People murdered in Idaho Violence in Idaho

Perpetrator

History

Media

Film and television

Other

See also

References