Mother describes ‘Precious Doe’ death
Muskogee man is accused of killing 3-year-old and disposing her body

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: October 8, 2008

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The mother of the girl who became known as "Precious Doe” testified Tuesday that she watched her then-boyfriend kick her daughter in the head and helped him dump her body.

Michelle Johnson, 33, of Muskogee took the stand on the second day of testimony in the first-degree murder trial of Harrell Johnson, 29, also of Muskogee. Michelle Johnson, who married Harrell a year after her daughter’s death, previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of 3-year-old Erica Green.

Michelle Johnson told a jury that Harrell Johnson was high on drugs when he kicked Erica in the Kansas City house where they were staying.

Jail officers unshackled the woman’s feet so she could demonstrate it.

"He just picked up his feet and kicked her on the side of the face. I said, ‘What the (expletive) did you do?’ It shook him out of his high,” Johnson said, as she stood and lifted her foot in front of her.

She said she tried to revive the girl by putting her in cold water. She said she and Harrell Johnson did not seek medical help for the girl for fear of being arrested on warrants.

She said she knew that Erica would die if they didn’t get her to a hospital.

"I was on the floor with her. I was singing her favorite song to her, which was a Barney song,” Michelle Johnson told the jury. "I kissed her. I was asking God to let my daughter live and to take me.”

After the girl died, the couple decided to wait until night to dispose of her body so that neighbors wouldn’t see them, Michelle Johnson said.

A police officer found Erica’s naked, headless body in April 2001, and residents nicknamed the girl "Precious Doe.” Erica’s identity remained unknown until 2005.

Harrell Johnson also is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, child abuse resulting in death and abuse of a child.