The mother of the Los Angeles woman who killed her husband and baby before killing herself in a 100mph head-on crash has said her daughter was battling “legions of demons”.
Danielle Johnson, 34, killed her Air Force veteran partner Jaelen Allen Chaney, 29, and their eight-month-old baby in their Woodland Hills, California apartment on April 8.
She fled with her two daughters, pushing them both out of the car on the 405 Freeway. The child was struck and killed by another vehicle, but her nine-year-old sister reached the side of the road and called for help.
Her mother Sharonda Cole says she struggled with mental health issues, “low vibrational energy” and postpartum depression.
Johnson posted a series of unhinged posts on social media in which she spoke of an impending apocalypse and the solar eclipse that brings “ultimate spiritual warfare.”
The mother of Danielle Johnson (pictured), who killed her husband and baby before killing herself in a 100mph head-on crash, has said her daughter was battling ‘legions of demons’
The 34-year-old mother murdered her Air Force veteran partner Jaelen Allen Chaney, 29, (pictured) and their eight-month-old baby in their Woodland Hills, California apartment on April 8.
Police found Johnson’s body 15 miles from the family home. She had crashed into a tree and committed suicide
Cole was told that her daughter had died and that she had killed her partner and their baby.
“Then they told me about Jae – and that was the worst,” she told the newspaper Los Angeles Times. “They told me she killed her boyfriend.”
‘I lost it. My heart poured out.”
Johnson touted himself as a “reiki master teacher” trained in alternative medicine. On her website, she claimed she had “spiritual gifts” and was descended from a “rich lineage of indigenous shamans and medicine women.”
Considered a popular “star seller” on Etsy, she sold several audio series that focused on aura cleansing and healing energies based on astrological signs.
In fact, Essence.com praised Johnson as one of the best black astrologers to follow, calling her commentary “perfect, funny and relatable.”
Johnson had a significant social media presence, with 100,000 people following her astrological advice and purchasing items for her “candle magic” rituals.
But her mother said she battled “legions of demons” and struggled with mental health issues.
Cole tried reaching out to Johnson for help and felt she should see her own Reiki healer or talk to a therapist.
“Nobody knew what was going on because she was so good at appearing good,” she said. “But she wasn’t doing well for a while.”
Johnson shared a number of alarming messages on her social media page just days before the murders.
On her X profile page she said: ‘Wake up, wake up. The apocalypse is here. Everyone who has ears, listen. Now is your time to choose what you believe.
“If you believe a new world is possible, retweet people now. There is power in choice. There is power in choice!!!!’
Another message added: ‘This eclipse is the epitome of spiritual warfare. Put your protection on and your heart in the right place.
“The world is clearly changing right now and if you ever have to choose a side, now is the time to do the right thing in your life. Stay strong, you got this.”
Cole was 17 when she gave birth to Johnson and the couple lived with her aunt and uncle.
At age 17, Johnson was in high school and living and her mother was struggling with drug addiction at the time.
Her mother Sharonda Cole says she struggled with mental health issues, ‘low vibrational energy’ and postpartum depression
Chaney, pictured here with his mother Juanita, joined the Air Force at age 22
Danielle Johnson’s social media posts became more alarming in the days before the eclipse
Cole tried to stay sober, but said she struggled to repair her relationship with her daughter before Johnson began Reiki work.
“She started working with me and trying to help me heal not only the wounds between her and I, but my childhood wounds,” she said.
Johnson always told her mother how hard her life was and the postpartum depression she struggled with in 2015.
‘She saw me as the one who injured her. And of course her dad wasn’t there,” Cole said.
Johnson shared a blog post about “toxic parenting,” saying this could happen to those who aren’t properly loved by their parents.
She wrote, “These children often grow up wanting to give others the love they never had. In turn, they rarely consider allowing themselves that experience of love first.”
“I think she completely understood, but failed to diagnose and treat her own wounds,” her mother Cole said.
“She thought she could ignore this same behavior, but chose to blame me, then refused to allow forgiveness so she could finally let go of what was causing her pain.”
Los Angeles Police Department officials provided more details about how the tragedy unfolded.
Investigators said Chaney and Johnson heard arguing around 3:40 a.m., and at some point the fight turned deadly when the 34-year-old stabbed her partner.
Chaney was found in the family’s apartment by a neighbor who saw blood “streaming” under the door.
LAPD officials said the bloody knife Johnson used to stab Chaney was found in the home.
Outside their home, a neighbor told DailyMail.com that the couple kept to themselves and had everything delivered to their home
The family’s apartment was in an upscale apartment building in Woodland Hills
Johnson then fled the apartment with her children before her car was spotted on the 405 Freeway, where witnesses saw the child and the nine-year-old being pushed from the vehicle, LAPD said.
Johnson then drove toward Redondo Beach at speeds exceeding 100 mph when she plowed her car head-on into a tree, killing herself.
Chaney’s grieving brother, Matthew Chiricas, told DailyMail.com that his sibling had “embraced” Johnson’s older child from a previous relationship as his own.
“I never saw him as children, but I know he absolutely adored her.”
Chaney was described as caring and outgoing with a smile that lit up the rooms, and his friends said he was funny and popular.
Cole said, “He just wanted to love her. He wanted to love her the way she said she should be loved.”
