Hibbing Man Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter In Toddler's Death

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 27-year-old Hibbing man struck a plea deal with prosecutors after admitting to causing the death of a 2-year-old girl in 2012.

The St. Louis County Attorney's office says Russell Shannon Johnson pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the death of Caroline Shenze Marie Medicine-Chavez.

Johnson was originally charged last August with second-degree murder while committing felony malicious punishment of a child.

Police were called to a home in Virginia on March 21, 2012 on a report of an unresponsive girl. Officers found the girl gasping for air in a bedroom. She died the next day at a Duluth hospital.

An autopsy found the girl had died from closed head trauma. Johnson was not implicated until last July, when a Virginia woman told police he had tearfully confessed to her that he pushed the girl into a wall because he was "cranky," and she was a "really whiny kid."

Sentencing is scheduled for the morning of July 9.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.