A Snohomish County judge on Friday sentenced Johnson to a minimum of 24 years in prison for the death of Susan Schwarz. The Seattle ex-con, 58, pleaded guilty in January to second-degree murder, finally admitting that he was responsible for the slaying...
Prosecutors believe that Johnson killed Schwarz out of revenge. He blamed her for meddling in his marriage.
Schwarz, 24, was a high school friend of Johnson's estranged wife. The woman had confided in Schwarz that her husband beat her. Schwarz helped her friend move into a shelter until the woman could leave the state with the couple's young son. The woman later returned to Washington and spent time with Schwarz in the weeks before the murder.