Paso Robles man pleads guilty to murdering pregnant girlfriend, unborn child
A Paso Robles man has pleaded guilty to the murder of his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn child, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.
Daniel Raul Rodriguez Johnson, 34, pleaded guilty in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Sept. 8 to the first-degree murder of 27-year-old Carrington Jane Broussard, second-degree murder of her full-term unborn baby, and admitted to the special circumstance of committing multiple murders, the District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday in a news release.
Johnson’s plea requires a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“We are satisfied that the defendant has taken personal responsibility for his unimaginably horrific crimes,” county District Attorney Dan Dow said in the release. “Life in prison without the possibility of parole is an appropriate sentence given that he took two innocent lives and assures he will not pose a danger to our community in the future.
“Our prayers are with the family and friends of Carrington as we complete this stage of the criminal and victim justice process.”
Murder defendant allegedly stole CHP vehicle, led officers on chase
The charges stemmed from a March 2019 incident involving a high-speed chase through San Luis Obispo County that allegedly started when Johnson crashed his Kia car.
CHP Officer Michael Egan testified in a February preliminary hearing that he pulled up to the scene of the initial crash on March 3, 2019, where he described him as “fidgety and nervous.”
“It was likely I’d be arresting this gentleman for being impaired,” Egan said, noting that he didn’t feel Johnson was a threat.
While the CHP officer spoke to emergency medical technicians with his back to Johnson, Egan said one of the medics called out and he saw Johnson running toward his patrol vehicle, which was idling with the driver’s side door open.
Egan said he rushed Johnson, who made it into the driver’s seat of the CHP vehicle, and Egan struggled to remove Johnson from the vehicle as it began pulling away.
Egan said his attempts to radio dispatch were unsuccessful because his patrol car was too far away, and he didn’t have his cell phone, which was in the car.
Eventually, backup arrived and Egan and another CHP officer followed Highway 46 West in Johnson’s direction, Egan testified.
The two caught up and lost Johnson a couple times as weather worsened and speeds reached upwards of 100 mph, Egan said.
Johnson turned onto Highway 1 south of Cambria and ran through a red light at Ardath Drive, Egan said, narrowly missing an oncoming vehicle.
In San Simeon, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office deputies deployed a spike strip, which was successful in shredding the stolen CHP vehicle’s front driver side tire, Egan said.
After Johnson was arrested, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted a welfare check of his home in Heritage Ranch near Lake Nacimiento in rural Paso Robles.
“After arriving at the home, sheriff’s deputies discovered the body of Ms. Broussard, who was identified as Mr. Johnson’s full-term pregnant girlfriend,” the District Attorney’s Office said in the release.
She and her baby were allegedly killed March 2, 2019.
Johnson, who was arraigned on March 7, 2019, initially pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, as well as felony charges of carjacking, evading and resisting a police officer, unlawfully taking a vehicle, and a misdemeanor count of exhibiting a weapon.
The case was pending trial.
DA consulted victim’s family about sentence
The District Attorney’s Office noted in the release that its decision to seek life in prison without the possibility of parole, rather than the death penalty, was made “after careful consideration of all facts related to the case and the background of the defendant.”
“Additionally, the district attorney consulted with surviving family members of the victims and the involved law enforcement agencies,” the release said. “The district attorney also met with the assigned defense counsel, who provided relevant background on the defendant for consideration.”
The CHP and Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Megan Baltierra and Michael Frye.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 19 in Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen’s courtroom.
This story was originally published September 8, 2021 at 1:47 PM.
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