Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 26 Years to Life for Murdering and Dismembering Girlfriend
By Tiffany Williams –
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 26 years to life in prison for murdering and dismembering his 22-year-old girlfriend, then living inside her East New York apartment for weeks while her remains decomposed in garbage bags in the bathroom.
Justin Williams, 27, of Manhattan, was sentenced by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder and multiple other charges in the killing of D’Asia Johnson.
The evidence detailed a disturbing sequence of violence and deception.
Williams and Johnson had been in a romantic relationship for several years. According to prosecutors, Williams repeatedly abused Johnson during their relationship. At the time she was murdered, Johnson was protected by an order of protection requiring Williams to stay away from her.
On Aug. 21, 2022, Johnson entered her apartment on Linwood Avenue in East New York.
She never walked out again.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 22, prosecutors said Williams stabbed Johnson nine times — five times in the front of her torso and four times in the back. The wounds struck her heart and lung.
Williams then dismembered Johnson’s body and placed her remains into garbage bags, according to the evidence.
But he didn’t leave the apartment.
For nearly a month, prosecutors said Williams continued living there while Johnson’s remains were kept inside the bathroom and her family and friends desperately searched for her.
During that time, the evidence showed Williams impersonated Johnson to call out from her job, allowing her paychecks to continue. He used money from her bank account to pay women engaged in prostitution whom he brought into the apartment while Johnson’s remains decomposed nearby.
Prosecutors said Williams also used Johnson’s public benefits to purchase food for himself and brought his adolescent son into the apartment.
When Johnson’s family came looking for her, Williams pretended to be Johnson in an effort to conceal that she was dead, according to the evidence.
Her remains were eventually discovered after building personnel became concerned because they had not seen Johnson for some time. They conducted a wellness check and contacted police.
“D’Asia Johnson suffered horrific violence at the hands of this defendant, who then compounded that cruelty with conduct that showed a staggering disregard for her life, her dignity and the loved ones desperately searching for her. He has now been held accountable for that horrific brutality, and I hope D’Asia’s family can find some measure of solace and justice in today’s sentence,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
Williams was convicted June 16 following a jury trial of second-degree murder, concealment of a human corpse, fourth-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, second-degree criminal impersonation and fifth-degree welfare fraud.
He will now serve 26 years to life in prison.
