A woman in Arizona has been sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty to adding bleach to her husband's coffee in an attempt to kill him. Melody Felicano Johnson, 39, faced up to two years in prison for each of the two counts of attempted murder, but her defense attorney argued for leniency due to her mental health. She will also undergo mental health treatment as part of her sentence.
According to court documents, Johnson's husband, Roby, first noticed a strange taste in his coffee in March 2023. At the time, the couple was going through a divorce but still living together. His suspicions were confirmed when he tested the coffee with pool testing strips, which revealed high levels of chlorine. This prompted him to set up hidden cameras, which caught Johnson pouring bleach into a container and then into the coffee maker.
Roby, who is an airman stationed in Germany, told investigators that he believed his wife was trying to kill him to collect death benefits. He also stated that he pretended to continue drinking the coffee in order to gather evidence and file a report once they returned to Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.
In the criminal complaint, Johnson's husband said that she had been putting trace amounts of bleach in his coffee every day for months. However, Johnson only admitted to doing it twice in 2023. Her defense attorney argued that her actions were a cry for help and that she was suffering from mental health issues.
The judge in the case, Pima County Superior Court Judge Javier Chon-Lopez, took into consideration the wishes of Roby, who said he did not want his wife to go to prison. He also noted her lack of criminal history and her agreement to undergo mental health treatment as factors in his decision to give her probation instead of jail time.
Johnson had been in jail for one year since she was unable to pay her $250,000 bond, which was set high due to her being considered a flight risk after purchasing a home in the Philippines.
The incident has caused a divide among those following the case, with some arguing that Johnson should have received a harsher sentence for her actions. They say that adding bleach to someone's food or drink is a serious crime and could have resulted in a fatal outcome. Others argue that Johnson's mental health should be taken into consideration and that she should not face prison time for what they view as a cry for help.
Prosecutors argued that Johnson's actions were premeditated and that she was fully aware of the potential consequences. They also pointed out that she had attempted to flee the country before being apprehended by authorities. However, the defense argued that Johnson was not in her right mind at the time of the incident and that her mental health should be treated as a mitigating factor in her sentence.
Johnson's probation will require her to comply with mental health treatment and any other conditions set by the court. If she violates any of these conditions, she could face further penalties, including imprisonment. This case serves as a reminder of the importance of addressing mental health issues and seeking help rather than resorting to harmful actions.