The Murder of Lucy Johnson
For this case I watched an episode of On the Case with Paula Zahn. It’s season 5 episode 7, titled ‘Lost in the Fire.’
A 31 year pregnant woman dies after her house goes up in flames.
Background
Lucy Johnson
Lucy Johnson was a 31 year mom of two, and was also three months pregnant. Lucy lived in Gastonia, North Carolina, which is 20 miles west of Charlotte.
Lucy was described as an amazing mom, but was very unlucky in love. Lucy had been married twice, and was engaged to a new man at the time of her death. Lucy’s mom Michelle, said that Lucy always gave more than she got back. Things seemed to be looking up for Lucy, until she was tragically killed on a hot summer night.
The Murder
On July 16, 2008, several 911 calls came into the Gaston County police around 3am. Several neighbors ran over to the house that was now on fire, and called out for Lucy. There was no answer, but Lucy’s car was in the driveway, and everyone feared Lucy and her children were inside.
When the first responders arrived, the house was consumed by fire. The heat was so intense, and the firefighters struggled to put out the flames. Several hours later, it was confirmed that a female body was found in the home. Lucy Johnson was identified, and luckily her children weren’t in the house at the time. They were save, and each child was with their dad.
The investigators also said that the fire was deliberately set, and an accelerant was used. The fire started on the ground floor, continued on the stairs and ended in the master bedroom where Lucy was found.
Lucy was taken in for an autopsy, and it was discovered that the fire was not her cause of death. Lucy had been shot in the head multiple times, and the police believed she had been sexually assaulted. Lucy had put up a fight, and her underwear was ripped. A rape kit was done and sent in for testing. Lucy’s last moments alive were horrific and terrifying.
A List of Suspects
The police spoke to Lucy’s family, and they told the police that Lucy had several exes and was engaged to a man named Mike Mead. The police wanted to speak to each one of them.
Mike and Lucy had met three months before, and Mike said that everything happened so fast. Mike was also the father of Lucy’s unborn baby, and he said he was devastated. He said he was just at Lucy’s the night before the fire started, and when he drove back it looked like a war zone. Mike told the police that he wasn’t the only person who had been at Lucy’s that night.
Lucy’s first ex-husband Phillip had stopped by, to pick up their daughter Laura. Phillip was cleared almost immediately, and said that he was home with his new wife and daughter. Phillip also said that he and his new wife were friends with Lucy, and that she had asked them to be the godparents of her new baby.
Lucy also had a contentious relationship with her second ex-husband, a man named Jim Johnson. Their relationship was not good, and Lucy had filed a restraining order on him. Her friend Deana said that she had witnessed Jim yelling and cussing at Lucy. There were also allegations of physical abuse, which Jim denied.
Jim was eventually cleared. He passed a polygraph, and was at home over 200 miles away at the time of the murder.
The Custody Battle
At 7pm on the night she died, Lucy’s ex-boyfriend Jim Spelock came over to get their son Casen. Jim and Lucy didn’t have a good relationship. They were in the middle of a very ugly custody battle. Jim had apparently threatened Lucy many times, and Lucy even told a friend that if something happened to her, Jim did it. Lucy’s family also believed that Jim had hurt Lucy.
Lucy made allegations about Jim having a gambling problem, and about him being a crossdresser. Jim had recorded phone calls to use in their custody battle, and called Lucy evil and manipulative.
The police asked Jim where he was on the night of the murder. He said he went over to get his daughter Laura around 7pm, and was only there for about 5 minutes. He said he and Laura went home, and he texted with a female friend. Jim shared his phone log with the police, and they noticed the phone went quiet from 1:05 to 3:30am. Jim said he had fallen asleep, but never left his house. His roommate was questioned and confirmed that Jim never left.
The police obtained a warrant for Jim’s house and seized his car. They didn’t find anything, and he was eventually cleared. The police had made a statement that Jim, Jim Johnson and Phillip were all cleared. They also said they had a new person of interest: Mike Mead, Lucy’s fiance.
Mike’s Behavior
Mike ended up getting arrested for stalking and malicious injury to personal property, after he slashed Jim Spelock’s tires. Mike was interviewed in this episode, and he said it was a mistake that cost him a lot of money.
After Jim was cleared, Lucy’s family started to rethink everything. Laura, a neighbor of Lucy’s said she also started to suspect Mike after watching his behavior, which she called theatrical.
The police also said that when Mike showed up at the crime scene, he asked them where his engagement ring was. At this point, the police hadn’t even confirmed that Lucy as dead. Mike, who had an answer for everything, said that he wanted them to find it so that Lucy could wear it when she was buried.
Lucy’s uncle Ken, also said that when the police brought Lucy’s body outside, Mike started taking pictures. Mike said that he was taken pictures “to show Casen what Jim Spelock did to his mommy.” At this point, the police still hadn’t officially identified Lucy’s body. Mike said that everything thought that Lucy was inside the home.
Mike was brought in for questioning, and he was described as argumentative. They asked Mike what he did after he left Lucy’s that night. He said left Lucy’s at 8:15pm, drove 45 minutes to his home, and called Lucy at 10pm. He said he and Lucy talked on the phone for an hour, and then he played video games until 1am. Mike said his GPS, playstation records and his alarm system were his alibi. Mike’s home alarm system said he activated it at 1am and deactivated it at 7:15am. The police told him they didn’t think it was reliable proof.
The police also questioned Mike about his unborn baby. Mike said he was excited about being a dad, but didn’t think that the baby was his at first. He said “we had sex once, and three weeks later she was pregnant.” Mike said he believed Lucy after she offered to take a paternity test.
Mike agreed to take a polygraph test, and took it twice. He was accused of trying to alter the results. The examiner said that Mike was holding in his breath, and was breathing erratically. Mike said he was nervous and hadn’t slept in days. The results of the polygraph tests were undetermined.
History of Violence
The police had no focused completely on Mike Mead. They looked into his background, and discovered that he had a history of being violent and confrontational with women. His ex-wife had reported several domestic violence incidents and abuse. Mike denied it, and said he was never arrested for anything.
The police had gotten the results back from Lucy’s rape kit. The DNA found in Lucy was Mike’s, which wasn’t unusual because they were engaged, however Lucy had just had a procedure done to help her carry her baby to full-term. Lucy was told by her doctor that having sex could harm the baby, and everyone believed Lucy wouldn’t want to harm her baby in anyway.
Mike was questioned about this, and he said he and Lucy had sex 3-4 days before she was killed. The police didn’t believe him, and Lucy’s family believed Mike had killed Lucy. Mike denied killing Lucy and burning her house down.
Mike was eventually arrested and charged with rape, arson and first degree murder.
The Trial
In June 2011, three years after Lucy’s death, Mike Mead went on trial, and he was facing the death penalty.
The prosecution portrayed Mike as controlling, they said that Mike was trapped and didn’t want the baby.
A jailhouse informant testified that Mike had confessed to killing Lucy. The informant said that Mike said he shot Lucy, and shot her again because he freaked out. We all know that jail house informants are not reliable witnesses.
The prosecution also said that the DNA from Mike proved that he sexually assaulted Lucy. However, the defense had an expert that said the sperm was aged and proved Mike’s story that they had sex three to four days before the murder. This was a big blow to the prosecution, and the judge threw out the rape charge.
The defense also blamed the murder on Jim Spelock. They focused on Lucy’s statement to her friend: if something happens to me, Jim Spelock did it, which she said 5 hours before she died.
1 1/2 days after the jury went into deliberation, they were back with a verdict. Mike Mead was found not guilty on all charges.
Lucy’s family was outraged. They blamed the DA’s office, and said that the prosecution didn’t call any witnesses or show half of the evidence. Lucy’s mom Michelle, said she understands why Mike was acquitted, but believes he did it.
Mike Mead
Other
Lucy’s case was officially closed until August 2011, and it’s now an open case. There have been no new suspects or evidence presented.
Michelle is now an advocate for the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which is a law that recognizes a fetus as a legal victim.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I was rolling my eyes so hard every time Mike spoke in this episode. He seems very smug and arrogant. I completely understand why he was acquitted too, and believe it could have been him. I also believe it could have been Jim as well. Jim seemed to have more of a motive to kill Lucy, but I also don’t want to say someone is guilty when they’re not.
It’s heartbreaking that Lucy and her family haven’t gotten the justice they deserve. I truly hope the police are still investigating this case, and maybe one day justice will be served.
Sources
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/latest-news/article9063656.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/friends-family-search-answers-murder-pregnant-nc-woman/story?id=24008444
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unborn_Victims_of_Violence_Act
https://abc7chicago.com/95728/
