A preliminary hearing for a San Carlos woman accused of fatally shooting her husband and 14-year-old daughter in their condominium and staying with the bodies for three days before reporting the deaths was postponed until February.
Lawyers in the case of Regina Renee Johnson, 55, said a key witness faces a medical issue and won't be available for a couple of months.
Judge Timothy Walsh rescheduled the preliminary hearing from Monday to Feb. 19. When it does take place, a judge will determine whether there is enough evidence to order a trial for Johnson, who is charged with murder and use of a gun.
The woman was arrested on June 2 in connection with the slayings. 56-year-old Reuben Johnson was retired from the Navy and working as a security guard, and Aaliyah Johnson was a freshman at West Hills High School.
According to Deputy District Attorney Claudine Ruiz, the defendant called family members out-of-state, informing them that her husband and daughter were dead, and they relayed the information to the San Diego Police Department. Officers sent to the Johnson condominium found Reuben Johnson's body in an upstairs hallway and his daughter face-down in her bedroom, she said.
Both had been shot in the head, and Reuben Johnson also had a gunshot wound to the upper body, according to Ruiz. She said both bodies were in a state of decomposition when discovered.
A 9 mm handgun registered to Reuben Johnson was found in the residence, Ruiz said.
The slayings could have been committed as early as May 30, three days before the gruesome discoveries, Ruiz said..
A motive was not revealed, but Regina Johnson reportedly had lost her financial services job recently. Investigators said there were no previous reports of violence in the Johnson family, and the defendant had no criminal record.
The defendant faces 100 years to life in prison if convicted, Ruiz said.
-City News Service
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