Bail revoked for North County man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend
A Heritage Ranch man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend did not enter a plea and had his bail revoked on Thursday during his first appearance in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court.
The county District Attorney’s office on Wednesday filed two murder charges against Daniel Raul Rodriguez Johnson, 31, for allegedly killing Carrington Broussard, 27, and her unborn child.
Broussard was found dead on Sunday morning in a home in the 2800 block of Sorrel Lane in Heritage Ranch, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
Broussard’s cause of death has not yet been released pending the results of an autopsy, but preliminary evidence suggests she was stabbed multiple times, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
She was nine months pregnant at the time of her death, and the baby did not survive. Broussard and Johnson Rodriguez had been in a relationship for six years and were living together in the Lake Nacimiento community, Undersheriff Jim Voge said on Monday.
The unborn baby was to be the couple’s third child together — they were already parents to 4-year-old and 2-year-old daughters, Voge said.
First court appearance
Broussard’s family and friends were present in court for Rodriguez Johnson’s arraignment on Thursday morning before Superior Court Judge Dodie Harman.
He was represented by attorney Patricia Ashbaugh of the Public Defender’s Office, who requested the hearing be continued to Wednesday.
Rodriguez Johnson initially appeared in the courtroom wearing a striped jail uniform, but he donned a blue button-down shirt just prior to his hearing.
Harman instructed The Tribune’s photographer to discard any photos of Rodriguez Johnson taken in court ahead of his arraignment — before he changed his clothing.
The county District Attorney’s Office requested Rodriguez Johnson’s $2 million bail be revoked, which Harman granted.
Rodriguez Johnson’s continued arraignment will take place before Harman on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.
Chase and arrest
Rodriguez Johnson was arrested on Sunday after allegedly stealing a CHP vehicle that stopped to assist him near Highway 46 West and York Mountain Road.
Broussard and Rodriguez Johnson’s daughters were with him in the car, and he left them behind when he fled.
Rodriguez Johnson led county sheriff’s deputies on a chase up the North Coast and was eventually taken into custody near Piedras Blancas Lighthouse. After the arrest, deputies discovered
In addition to the two counts of murder, he also faces multiple charges related to the chase, including carjacking, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and willful cruelty to a child.
Vigil on Sunday
Broussard’s friends and family will honor her memory with a candlelight vigil on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Rock ‘N’ Robles Grill and Pizza Kitchen in Heritage Ranch.
This story was originally published March 7, 2019 at 2:05 PM.
