Carlos Johnson Jr. facing trial for first-degree murder in the 2017 disappearance of Keir and Chloe Johnson
Ten witnesses testified Tuesday in the murder trial of Carlos Johnson Jr., giving jurors more details about the investigation into the 2017 disappearance of Keir Johnson and her 8-month-old daughter, Chloe.
The day's testimony included accounts from Keir's former Smithfield Packing coworkers, evidence collected from vehicles and homes, DNA testing of a carpet sample from Johnson's home, child support records and a nearly 50-minute police interview with Johnson just weeks after Keir and Chloe disappeared.
Paulette Wiggins, a supervisor at Smithfield Packing and a minister, was the first witness Tuesday. She testified that employees wanted her to lead a prayer vigil for Keir and Chloe after their disappearance.
Wiggins said Johnson approached her after the prayer vigil. She testified Johnson told her Keir was in Florida with her cousin.
When Wiggins asked whether Keir had reported that to police, she said Johnson did not respond and walked away.
Wiggins also identified Johnson's Smithfield time card. She testified his last day at the plant was May 17, 2017, and he was listed as a "no-show, no-call."
Patricia Slade, who worked at Smithfield Packing for about 35 years, also testified about Keir and Johnson's relationship at work.
Slade said she supervised Keir for several years and also worked with Johnson. She recalled having a counseling conversation with the two after Chloe was born.
Slade testified Keir was emotional and told her Johnson was sharing their personal business at work. During the conversation, Slade recalled Keir asking Johnson, "Are you going to take her from me?"
Slade described Johnson as calm during the conversation and said he denied discussing their personal business at work.
Slade said Keir was quiet and focused on her job. She testified Keir "went on vacation and never came back" and that Johnson continued working at Smithfield after Keir disappeared.
A third Smithfield coworker, A'Kwan Battle, testified about his friendship with Keir and his interactions with her at work.
Battle said Keir was excited about becoming a mother and remembered her talking about the father of her child. He testified Keir told him Johnson did not want the baby and wanted her to have an abortion.
Battle also testified that he took photographs of Keir and Chloe after Chloe was born.
After Keir disappeared, Battle said he tried calling her repeatedly, but the calls eventually went directly to voicemail. He testified he has not spoken with her since 2017.
Neighbors identify black car
Curtis Hubbard III, who lived at the Arch Mobile Home Park in Newport News in 2017, testified about a black car he noticed parked in the area for weeks.
Hubbard said he normally was the only person who parked in the back area of the mobile home park. He testified a "little black car" appeared and remained there without moving.
Hubbard said he thought it was unusual and planned to tell the landlord, but police arrived before he did.
Newport News Police Sgt. Ricardo Valentine testified he helped investigate Chloe's disappearance and eventually collected a black Kia Optima from Arch Street off Jefferson Avenue around May 14, 2017.
Valentine identified the tow paperwork and photographs showing where the car had been parked, near woods and railroad tracks. Investigators determined the Kia belonged to Keir Johnson.
Police investigators describe the evidence analyzed
Detective Amber Rogers of the Newport News Police Department's cold case unit then testified about the scope of the investigation. Rogers, a more than 20-year police veteran, worked in the Special Victims Unit in 2017 and became involved in the disappearance case in June of that year.
She testified that investigators spoke with more than 50 witnesses and executed numerous search warrants during the investigation.
Those searches included residences, cell phones, Smithfield Packing, Google accounts and other records. Rogers also testified that investigators executed two search warrants at Johnson's home at 1118 35th St. in Newport News.
She said investigators received both anonymous and identified tips, but when asked whether investigators were able to find anything legitimate from those tips, she said they were not.
Rogers testified that Johnson was later identified as a suspect. On Feb. 8, 2018, police executed another search warrant at his home and collected a DNA buccal swab from Johnson.
The final witness before lunch was Erin Smith, who worked in the Newport News Police forensics unit in 2017.
Smith testified about evidence collected from Keir's Kia, including Johnson's driver's license, work badge and other items. She also testified that investigators collected two couch cushions from a Newport News home, along with a toothbrush and comb from Keir's Hampton residence.
Smith described processing Johnson's home on May 19, 2017. Investigators collected carpet, carpet padding and a swab from the subfloor in the living room.
She testified that investigators conducted a visible search for blood before using Bluestar, a chemical used to illuminate potential blood.
Smith said investigators saw small areas of Bluestar illumination and cut out a large section of carpet for preservation and testing.
Investigators also collected receipts from the home, including an April 30, 2017 Home Depot receipt for screen frames and screen repair materials.
Smith testified she also collected a machete, clothing and a cell phone from the home.
The next part of the testimony resumed with Kelly Wells, who has worked with the Newport News Police forensics unit for more than 20 years.
Wells testified about evidence collected during a search warrant at a Hampton home in May 2018, including two composition notebooks, receipts and a canceled insurance notice listing Johnson's Newport News address.
Among the receipts were Walmart and Jersey Mike's receipts dated April 30, 2017. Wells testified the Jersey Mike's receipt was timestamped at about 6:08 p.m. and the Walmart receipt was from about 5:54 p.m. The Walmart purchase included a T-shirt and black jeans.
Jessica Posto, a forensic biology expert with the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, then testified about DNA testing in the case.
Posto explained how DNA testing can identify specific areas of a person's genetic profile. She tested a swab taken from the underside of carpet collected from Johnson's living room. Posto testified that blood was indicated on the swab.
She compared the DNA profile to samples from Keir Johnson, Chloe Johnson, Rhonda Crews and Kaheem Delk, but testified that Keir Johnson's DNA could not be eliminated from the sample. She also testified that Chloe, Crews and Delk were eliminated from the DNA profile and that Carlos Johnson was eliminated from that particular sample.
Child support paper trail
The final two witnesses on Tuesday dealt with the child support case involving Johnson, Keir and Chloe, and Johnson's interaction with police.
Krystina Schofield, who has worked in child support enforcement for 14 years, walked jurors through agency records involving the family.
Schofield testified that the agency received an application for services involving Chloe and eventually established through genetic testing that Johnson was Chloe's biological father.
The records showed Johnson initially failed to appear for a paternity appointment. The case eventually went to Hampton Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, where genetic testing was ordered.
A March 30, 2017 administrative support order was issued, followed by an income-withholding order sent to Smithfield Packing in April.
After Keir and Chloe disappeared, agency records show Johnson continued contacting child support services.
Schofield testified that notes from August 2017 show Johnson called about an $811 child support issue and said the mother had fled with the child. Later records showed Johnson again told the agency Keir had left with Chloe. In March 2018, an agency note reflected Johnson saying, "She took the baby and left."
During cross-examination, the defense emphasized that Schofield was relying on notes in the agency's system and was not personally present for the meetings described in those records.
The day's final witness was Newport News Police Detective Aaron Thornton, a more than 30-year police veteran who has worked in the homicide unit since 2010. Thornton testified he was assigned as a liaison to Hampton police during the early stages of the investigation because Hampton initially led the case.
After Keir's Kia was found in Newport News, Newport News police took over the investigation, Thornton testified.
He described the first several months of the investigation, including interviews with friends, family members, coworkers and other people investigators considered persons of interest. Thornton also testified about search warrants involving residences, electronic devices, vehicles, bank records and employment records.
He told jurors that Johnson was considered a suspect by May 26, 2017, when Johnson came to the Newport News Police Department trying to get his car back. While Johnson was there, detectives asked to speak with him, and he agreed.
Jurors then watched nearly 50 minutes of video from that interview.
During the interview, Johnson told detectives Keir and Chloe were supposed to go to Colorado. He also referenced possible information about Texas, Miami and a reported sighting of Keir in a Hampton park.
Thornton testified Johnson did not ask him about the status of the investigation into his missing daughter.
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