Grusome murders happen across the world daily. But how often do you see killers broadcasting their crime to the world and openly confessing to their wrongdoings in the courtroom? In a severely disturbing case that dates back to 2022, a Louisiana man has been convicted of first-degree murder of a 34-year-old woman.
Earl Johnson was 35 when he recorded himself on Instagram Live as he fatally stabbed Janice David. The victim’s body was found without clothes tied to the steering wheel of a car parked outside an office building in Baton Rouge, La., on April 18, 2022. Nabbing her killer wasn’t hard, as nearly 100 people witnessed the murder on Instagram Live and reported the video to Instagram’s parent company Facebook, which eventually alerted the Louisiana State Police.
A Black Man Earl Johnson Fatally Stabbed A White Woman Janice David on Instagram Live in 2022 for Fame: ‘I’m Going to Live Forever’; Johnson Has Been Convicted of First-Degree Murder of David https://t.co/PIJfNGqg8B
— World I Used To Know 🇺🇸 (@pccote6623) September 15, 2025
While recording the Instagram Live, Johnson was heard claiming that David was going to accuse him of sexual assault. He was concerned that people would believe her over him, so, “If I’m going down, I’m going to live forever,” he declared, according to WAFB.
The 16-minute-long chilling video was presented to the jury during the court hearing. Baton Rouge Police Sgt. L’Jean McKneely, Jr. told reporters that Johnson “choked her (Janice David), beat her, and stabbed her.”
He defined the crime as “very gruesome” and said that broadcasting it Live was a “very, very evil act.”
The Instagram video was crucial evidence, and Dana Cummings, the state’s attorney, said in court, “I did not create this evidence; he did. And he wanted everyone to see it because he wanted to be famous and he wanted his son to be famous.”
DAY 2: Earl Johnson is on trial for the 2022 murder of Janice David. A portion of the attack was streamed live on Instagram. https://t.co/9B2nVQ3hXj pic.twitter.com/rSTKh0VGVK
— WAFB (@WAFB) September 11, 2025
Johnson had reportedly pleaded not guilty on grounds of ‘insanity’. According to WBRZ and WAFB, Johnson’s lawyer, Hafiz Folami, claimed that the accused and his victim went on a drug-fueled days-long binge before the fatal crime. He pointed out Johnson’s ‘erratic speech’ and ‘the waiting on police to come get him’ as proof of his mental instability.
Dana Cummings countered, “In the video, he told you exactly what he was doing, and he did it in front of you, and he wanted to do it that way, but that doesn’t mean that he is insane.”
According to WAFB, several medical professionals concluded that Johnson was sane at the time of committing the heinous crime. Dr. Laura Brown, a forensic psychologist, pointed out that he was aware that he was going to jail, so he knew the difference between right and wrong.
The sentencing of Earl Johnson, who is now 39, is scheduled for December 10.
