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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- September 13, 2017
Court
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Homicides
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Suspects
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The man who raped and murdered an actress and yoga instructor last Christmas pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on Tuesday.
As part of a plea agreement, Duane Johnson, entered a guilty plea in exchange for a 30-year sentence, pending the judge’s approval.
According to the facts read in the courtroom, Tricia McCauley was driving on her way to a Christmas party last year when Johnson entered the vehicle and sexually assaulted her. After assaulting her, Johnson used McCauley’s scarf to kill her. Johnson then tied her legs using the car seatbelt and hid her body between the front and rear seat. McCauley’s cause of death was ruled as strangulation, blunt force trauma, and multiple contusions. During the autopsy, it was found that DNA evidence swabbed from the victim matched the DNA of the defendant.
Johnson was arrested after police learned of a robbery of a nearby CVS pharmacy. McCauley’s body, as well as credit cards that Johnson had used, were found in her car. Johnson’s two pending charges from the use of credit cards and sexual assault will be dropped.
Johnson will be held in custody until sentencing on Nov. 17 at 11 a.m.