(WHDH) — A 19-year-old man who fatally shot a 16-year-old girl and her parents after he was caught in the teen’s bedroom pled guilty this week to three counts of first-degree murder, authorities said.
Mauricio Johnson, of California, admitted to using a firearm in the deaths of Nikki Metcalf, Margarett Moon, and their daughter, Shelly Autumn Mae Moon, according to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office.
On the evening of Feb. 9, 2021, Metcalf found Johnson, who was 18 at the time, in his daughter’s bedroom at a home in Bear River Band and a struggle ensued, the district attorney’s office said. Johnson then pulled a firearm out of his backpack and shot the girl, as well as her 40-year-old parents.
At the request of his attorney, Johnson will be handed a sentence of 150 years in prison with a parole hearing after 25 years.
In a statement, the district attorney’s office said, “To clarify two points: Attorneys and victim advocates from the district attorney’s office spoke with many members of the victims’ families, friends, and additional members of the community. Understandably, given the terrible harm done by the defendant, the people most affected by the murders expressed differing views on whether to accept the plea or proceed to trial.”
California law states that all youthful offenders receive a parole hearing in their 25th year of incarceration, unless they are serving life without the possibility of parole.
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