NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Jurors are now deliberating in the trial of Carlos Johnson Jr., who is accused of killing Keir Johnson and her baby, Chloe Johnson, in Newport News in 2017.
The 12-person jury is deciding whether to find Johnson guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of second-degree murder, or not guilty. Johnson was the father of Chloe.
Jurors received the case after both sides presented closing arguments on Monday in the multi-week trial.
The Commonwealth argued it proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt, outlining 80 exhibits introduced during the trial and recapping testimony from nearly 40 witnesses.
Prosecutors said Keir and Chloe went to Johnson's home on April 30, 2017, where he killed them, and that he then disposed of their bodies.
The Commonwealth recapped testimony from a witness named Kaheem Delk, who said he drove Johnson over the James River Bridge, where Johnson removed something from the trunk of the car and went into the woods. Delk said he later learned he had been driving Keir's car, which they ditched on Arch Street.
Delk also testified that Johnson put something into a dumpster at a McDonald's before returning to Johnson's house. Delk said he sat on Johnson's couch, which was noticeably damp. The Commonwealth said Johnson later gave the couch to Delk's mother in an effort to put suspicion on Delk.
Prosecutors also pointed to digital evidence they say shows Johnson searched for things like poison and accidental baby deaths in the months before the disappearances. Digital records also showed the location of cell phones on April 30, which prosecutors said matched Delk's testimony until the point where Delk said Johnson instructed him to turn off his phone. The records also showed Johnson visited another business with a dumpster the following morning.
In summarizing their case, the Commonwealth said Keir and Chloe went to Johnson's house that day "looking for love" and "he killed them."
The defense did not call any witnesses but argued during closing arguments that significant doubt exists in the case. The defense said investigators focused solely on Johnson when other leads could have been more strongly pursued, including a reported sighting of Keir and Chloe in Texas.
Police detectives testified to searching 64 locations across the area, including in Isle of Wight County, without finding anything. The defense argued Delk was lying and that investigators should have gone back to the drawing board when searches turned up nothing.
Prosecutors said Keir's blood was found in Johnson's home, but the defense argued the prosecution never explained how much blood was present or how long it had been there.
The defense asked the jury to find Johnson not guilty, while the Commonwealth is seeking first-degree murder convictions.
It is not clear whether a verdict will come Monday or whether deliberations will stretch into Tuesday.
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