A Phoenix father has been slammed with a 37-year prison sentence for the savage abuse of his own kids, which left one dead and another with cerebral palsy, Maricopa County officials said. Dontae Johnson, born January 1991, won't see the predawn of freedom for nearly four decades after pleading guilty to charges of child abuse in a case that has appalled the local community.
In an announcement that brought the full weight of the crimes to light, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell detailed the cold brutality inflicted upon Johnson's children. "By his own admission, this defendant beat and shook his three children. One child tragically, after heroic measures by medical professionals, did not survive," Mitchell said, according to a statement. She expressed a chilling certainty that a man who could so mercilessly harm the ones of supposed to protect could pose a similar threat to others.
Phoenix Police were tipped off by hospital staff on February 7, 2020, who reported injuries on the twins including fractured ribs, brain hemorrhages, and lacerations indicative of severe mistreatment. A third child in Johnson's "care" was discovered to have similar injuries, sustaining broken bones in a home that should have been a sanctuary.
One of the twin girls succumbed to her horrific injuries despite multiple surgeries in attempts to save her young life, while her sister now struggles with cerebral palsy, developmental, and cognitive impairments—a testament to an enduring legacy of abuse. Johnson's admission to his horrifying acts came during a year when he pleaded guilty to two counts of Child Abuse—deemed a Class Two Felonies and Dangerous Crimes Against Children—and two counts of Attempted Child Abuse, Class Three Felonies and Dangerous Crimes Against Children.
The severity of the sentence, 37 years behind bars followed by a lifetime of supervised probation, flows from the painstaking efforts of prosecutors who sifted through a mountainous trial of medical documentation. "Due to their dedication, this defendant has been removed from society,” Mitchell stated in the official release.
Authorities urge anyone who suspects child abuse to sound the alarm and contact local law enforcement or the Arizona Department of Child Safety at 1-888-SOS-CHILD (1-888-767-2445) or ChildHelp at 1-800-422-4453.
