In a hearing Tuesday, a Bemidji woman was sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison for the Christmas Day 2020 murder of her brother-in-law.
Janelle Johnson
In a two-week jury trial in March, 38-year-old Janelle Lorraine Johnson was convicted of murder in the second degree.
Johnson is expected to be released from prison after serving 19 years of her sentence, with the remaining 117 months on supervised release, as well as pay $50,000 in restitution.
Despite numerous letters from Johnson’s family and friends supporting a motion for a departure from sentencing guidelines, highlighting her work in the church and in the community as a social worker, Beltrami Judge Jeanine Brand stayed within the state’s guidelines, in the range of 261 to 367 months, at 343 months in the Shakopee prison with credit for 74 days served in local custody.
Johnson was reportedly intoxicated the night she arrived at Jesse Farris’ home to confront him about the alleged domestic abuse of her sister.
