Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan | Department of Justice
A Saginaw man, Michael Lee Johnson, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison following a conviction for multiple offenses including unlawful imprisonment, strangulation, suffocation, interstate domestic violence, and witness tampering. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Linda Parker in Detroit.
U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced the sentencing alongside Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Detroit Division. Johnson, aged 45, was found guilty by a jury on November 1, 2024.
The court heard that the victim had ended her relationship with Johnson prior to returning home from work. Despite being ordered to leave by his parole agent, Johnson remained at the residence and sent a Facebook message stating “I wanna do something evil” before the victim arrived home. Upon her arrival, Johnson attacked her by grabbing her from behind and throwing her into a wall multiple times before strangling and suffocating her to the point of difficulty breathing.
Johnson further assaulted the victim in front of her children and held her against her will in a bedroom on the night preceding these assaults. In an attempt to cover up his actions, he engaged in witness tampering. These incidents took place on the Isabella Reservation in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.
The investigation was conducted by the Saginaw Chippewa Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Roy Kranz along with former Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Turkelson prosecuted the case.
