Macon man sentenced to 20 years for stabbing mother of his children

The court sentenced Johnson to 20 years to serve.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A Macon man was convicted of stabbing the mother of his children in front of two of their children and sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard’s office.

A Bibb County jury convicted 35-year-old Shawndarius Deonte Johnson on Thursday of aggravated assault and cruelty to children in the third degree in connection with the August 2, 2021, attack at Northwood Apartments in Macon.

According to the district attorney’s office, Johnson and the woman shared three children and had recently ended a years-long relationship. On the morning of the attack, Johnson helped the woman change a flat tire before getting into her car to see the children.

The district attorney’s office says an argument began and Johnson pulled out a knife and repeatedly stabbed the woman in the torso and arms while their 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son were in the backseat.

The woman escaped from the car and collapsed near a stairwell. Johnson ran away briefly before returning to his car and driving away. Neighbors helped investigators establish a timeline, and multiple witnesses identified Johnson’s car leaving the scene.

The couple’s daughter, now 8 years old, testified during the trial about what she witnessed. The district attorney’s office says she had also described the attack during a forensic interview at a child advocacy center.

The court sentenced Johnson to 20 years to serve, the maximum sentence allowed. He is also barred from contacting the woman and her children.

“This verdict happened because an entire community of witnesses came forward and told the truth, from courageous neighbors who did not hesitate to come forward, to a brave young child who took the witness stand and told a jury what she saw happen to her mother,” Howard said. “Cases live or die on witness and victim cooperation. When you pair a thorough investigation with witnesses who corroborate each other, you give a jury everything it needs to reach the right verdict. That is the recipe for a higher measure of justice. This little girl showed more courage on that stand than most adults ever have to. We are grateful to her, to her mother, and to every witness who helped hold this defendant accountable.”