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People v. Johnson (Cal. Ct. App. - July 3, 2008)

By Shaun Martin

It's the typical story. One that appears in the pages of the California Appellate Reporter many, many times. A husband and wife are estranged, and have a seriously deficient relationship. The husband allegedly beats and injures the wife, and he's forced to move out of the family home. He then starts stalking her, and chasing her in his car, and calling her a "whore" and a "bitch". Later, he catches his wife, puts a gun to her head, and says that he's going to have sex with her "because she was still his wife and as long as she was his wife, he could have sex with her." The wife eventually secures her release by convincing him that she might reconcile with him. Two days later, she rents a U-Haul and starts to secretly move out of the house to escape her abusive husband. The next morning, the husband comes to the house, discovers his wife's deception, says "Bitch, you lied to me," and shoots her dead.

It's your usual -- albeit sad -- fare. With one exception. The husband -- George Edward Johnson -- is 64 years old.

Proof positive that profound irrationality knows no defined bounds.

Full post as published by California Appellate Report on July 03, 2008 (boomark / email).