Bengaluru, Apr 11
A Los Angeles-based astrology influencer fatally stabbed her partner and threw her two children out of a moving car before killing herself by crashing into a tree, as per media reports. One of the kids — an 8-month-old girl — was killed on the spot while her 9-year-old sister, who witnessed the stabbings, survived with moderate injuries.
Danielle Cherakiyah Johnson, who self-identified as a recording artist, astrologer and reiki teacher on social media, had termed Monday’s solar eclipse “the epitome of spiritual warfare”, triggering speculation that her actions could have been in response to that.
However, Los Angeles police’s Lt. Guy Golan told The Associated Press that the police are not investigating it as a contributing factor to the horrific crimes “because we just don’t know why she did what she did.” “We’ve taken all the facts we can, but without being able to interview her and without having something more tangible than a post on X, I don’t know how much weight you can give to somebody (saying) there’s an apocalypse and attribute it to one of the most horrific murders we’ve had in LA,” he told agencies.
What happened?
The 34-year-old astrologer and her partner Jaelen Allen Chaney (29) had an argument at 3.40 am on Monday, hours before the solar eclipse, following which she stabbed Chaney and fled with her two daughters in a Porsche Cayenne. Driving along the highway, she threw out her children from the moving car at around 4.30 am following which she crashed into a tree at 160 kph, said the AP report quoting the police.
Police are investigating if the crash was an apparent case of suicide.
Police were called to Johnson’s apartment after the neighbours called 911 on seeing the door open. An AFP report, quoting police officials, said that they found a trail of bloody footprints and Chaney’s body, and that he had been stabbed in the heart.
Police said that Johnson had no felony criminal record and there had been no records of domestic violence.
One of Johnson’s neighbours described her as “standoffish”. Another neighbour told the AP that when she saw the family, “I just said ‘hello.’
The baby was really cute,” she said Wednesday. “It’s horrible.”
Social media trail
Johnson had been active on social media, sharing several posts from Q-Anon accounts, conspiracy theories and accounts that promoted fear-mongering.
