A soldier based in Hawaii admitted to killing his wife and unborn child with a machete last year before dismembering the bodies and throwing them in a trash dumpster, Army officials said Thursday.

Pfc. Dewayne Arthur Johnson II, 29, pleaded guilty at his June 3 court-martial to killing his wife, Mischa, who was six months pregnant, and their unborn child.

Military prosecutors charged Johnson with murder. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of voluntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice and providing false official statements. Per the terms of his plea agreement, the government dropped charges against him for possession and distribution of child pornography.

A military judge sentenced Johnson to 23 years in prison, reduction in rank to E-1, total forfeiture of pay and allowances, and a dishonorable discharge. 

On July 12, 2024, an argument erupted between Johnson, 29, and Mischa Johnson, 19, at their home at the Army’s Schofield Barracks, about 20 miles northeast of Honolulu. The quarrel quickly escalated when Johnson struck his wife in the head with a machete. He told investigators that he used a chainsaw to dismember the bodies of his wife and unborn child, then took the remains to a dumpster on post, Army officials said. Johnson reported her missing two weeks later and took part in community search parties that spanned the island.

He was charged in August 2024 after agents with the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division found blood, DNA and other forensic evidence at the family’s home. 

The remains of Mischa Johnson and her unborn child have not been found and are presumed to have been taken to the island’s trash incinerator, Army officials said.

Johnson will serve his sentence at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. Johnson was stationed in Hawaii as an Army cavalry scout with the 25th Infantry Division, officials said.

“While no amount of confinement will ever be able to truly ease the pain of the loss of Ms. Johnson and her unborn child for her family and friends, it is my hope that Pfc. Johnson’s admission of guilt and the information he provided as part of the plea agreement can provide some element of closure and finality for the family and all stakeholders,” said Lt. Col. Nichols Hurd, who was part of the Army’s prosecution team at the trial.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.