ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study of the Sarah Marie Johnson. Johnson was 16 years old when, according to police, she used a Winchester rifle to shoot to death her parents, Alan Scott Johnson and Diane Johnson, on September 2, 2003, at their home in Bellevue, Idaho. Authorities initially turned their attention to the Johnson’s 16-year-old daughter, Sarah, as a suspect in their murder after learning that she was romantically involved with 19-year-old Bruno Santos, an illegal immigrant from Mexico. The tragedy of Alan and Diane Johnson’s deaths and the conviction of their daughter as killer has sparked public outrage and fascination, resulting in a number of crime investigation television shows and documentaries on the case. The relationship between youth and homicide has been well documented and has been proven to be a serious problem in American society. Studies have indicated that a teenager’s brain goes through various stages during adolescence “that may make them more susceptible to dangerous, impetuous behavior or lack of control over their violent actions.”
