Photo: Brown County Sheriff’s Office
Well, at least it didn't happen in Florida.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Mar 16, 2020
People make the news today for all the craziest reasons.
However, this one definitely took top honors as one of the craziest news stories of 2019: a man in Minnesota threw a drug-fueled "death party" for his wife, and now, he's been sentenced to time behind bars.
Who is Duane Arden Johnson, and what possessed him to do this madness? Here's what we know about this crazy fool.
1. It started because his wife didn't want to die in a nursing home.
Duane Arden Johnson, 59, didn't want his 69-year-old wife, Debra, to die in a nursing home. She made it clear to him that she wanted to die at home, and that's where the trouble got started.
2. Johnson was initially charged with third-degree murder.
Johnson was sentenced on a felony neglect charge, to which he pleaded guilty in June 2019 in Brown County District Court.
3. Debra Johnson was in a serious health crisis prior to the "death party."
Debra Johnson had multiple health problems, which she had been battling before her passing. She'd suffered two heart attacks and had been diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes and affective disorder.
It is also claimed that Johnson had told authorities that his wife was in a nursing home facility and she begged him to take her home, so Johnson took her out of the facility against medical advice.
4. Johnson's idea of a party was, well... interesting, to say the least.
Johnson held what he told police was a “death party” at their home, where he and his wife used methamphetamine, had sex, and listened to their favorite song: “Metal Health (Bang Your Head)” by Quiet Riot. His wife had also stopped taking her medications at the time of her death.
Authorities had discovered her body on January 24, 2019 in the couple’s home. And painted on their front door were the words, “Death Parde God Hell.”
5. Johnson died of methamphetamine toxicity.
According to a court complaint, Debra Johnson died of methamphetamine toxicity, which led to investigators ruling her death a homicide. Her husband, however, maintained that his wife wanted to die — and that he was merely honoring her wishes.
6. All things considered, Johnson got off easy.
Johnson pleaded guilty to criminal neglect in June 2019 and was sentenced in August 2019 in a plea deal approved by Judge Robert Docherty. He was given credit for 201 days already served in the slammer.
A charge of third-degree murder was dismissed in the plea deal.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.