A Rancho Bernardo man who stabbed his stepfather more than 100 times inside their shared condo was sentenced today to 26 years to life in state prison, closing a murder case that has unsettled the quiet community.
The killing happened on Jan. 28, 2024, when 61-year-old Michael Johnson was found with more than 100 stab wounds and cuts, according to trial testimony. His stepson, 27-year-old Pablo Johnson, was later convicted of first-degree murder for the attack inside their Rancho Bernardo home.
In announcing the sentence, Superior Court Judge David Berry said a knife found near the victim was certainly planted, pointing to evidence that included a photo the defendant had texted, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. The paper reports that Johnson was found guilty of first-degree murder and of using a knife in the killing, and that the judge imposed a 26-year-to-life term in state prison.
How police say the attack unfolded
San Diego police said officers were dispatched to the 12000 block of Caminito Campana after a woman walking her dog spotted a bloody man draped over a patio railing and called 911. Officers arrived to find Michael Johnson gravely injured and arrested his stepson at the scene. The victim was later pronounced dead, according to Hoodline.
Prosecutors’ case at trial
At trial, prosecutors said long-simmering tensions in the household had boiled over after repeated arguments about chores and living expenses, and they presented text messages the pair exchanged in the days before the killing, according to City News Service. The prosecution told jurors that the attack was so vicious a knife broke into multiple pieces and that Michael Johnson suffered more than 100 stab wounds to his head, face and neck.
Defense contends fight, abuse
Deputy Public Defender Leanne Skirzynski countered that the fatal encounter was a mutual fight sparked by what she described as years of abuse, and said her client suffered only minor cuts during the struggle, according to trial coverage by NBC 7 San Diego. The defense also challenged the significance of another knife found near the body that reportedly did not contain the defendant’s DNA.
Sentence, timeline and aftermath
A jury returned its guilty verdict in November 2025, and Friday’s sentencing comes nearly two years after the Jan. 28, 2024 killing, according to City News Service. Johnson will be transferred to state prison to serve the 26-year-to-life term, in a case that has drawn local attention both for the brutality of the stabbing and for the starkly different stories about what unfolded inside the condo that night.
San Diego police asked anyone with information to contact the Homicide Unit as investigators and prosecutors wrapped up the trial phase of the case, and neighbors say Rancho Bernardo is still grappling with the deadly violence that erupted inside a family home. The sentence brings the criminal proceedings to a close for now, though Johnson’s defense team retains the right to pursue appellate options.
