A California woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death before dumping her kids on a highway and killing herself by crashing into a tree was an online astrology influencer who was convinced the total solar eclipse was the apocalypse.
The Los Angeles Police Department says Danielle Johnson, 34, got into an argument with Jaelen Chaney, 29, at the apartment they shared with her two young children, one eight months old and nine years old.
The fight started in the early morning hours of the day of the eclipse.
Police say it escalated and Johnson became violent, stabbing Chaney. He died at the scene and the knife used in the killing was found at the scene.
She then left with her two young daughters in her dark-colored Porsche SUV and threw them out of the vehicle on the busy 405 Freeway. The eight-month-old died.
The nine-year-old child suffered moderate injuries from the fall and was transported to a hospital.
About 30 minutes later Johnson crashed into a tree in Redondo Beach while traveling at speeds over 100 miles per hour. The impact crushed the vehicle and killed her.
The incidents involving the children and the crash happened before police got the call about Chaney's death.
Johnson called herself an astrologer on X and went by the name Ayoka. She was an influencer with more than 100,000 followers.
She had posts leading up to the eclipse with statements such as "ALERT: THIS IS THE FINAL WARNING." and "SOMETHING BIG IS COMING..."
Another post said, "This eclipse is the epitome of spiritual warfare. Get your protection on and your heart in the right place."
Johnson had also warned, "WAKE UP WAKE UP THE APOCALYPSE IS HERE."
WAKE UP WAKE UP THE APOCALYPSE IS HERE. EVERYONE WHO HAS EARS LISTEN. YOUR TIME TO CHOOSE WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS NOW. IF YOU BELIEVE A NEW WORLD IS POSSIBLE FOR THE PEOPLE RT NOW.
— Ayoka (@MysticxLipstick) April 5, 2024
THERE IS POWER IN CHOICE. THERE IS POWER IN CHOICE!!!! REPOST TO MAKE THE CHOICE FOR THE COLLECTIVE pic.twitter.com/NMyuLkBj5l
Police don't have a motive for the deadly rampage but while detectives have reviewed her posts, police are not yet considering the eclipse to be a contributing factor to the slayings.
"We just don't know why she did what she did," Lt. Guy Golan told the Associated Press. "Without having something more tangible than a post on X, I don't know how much weight you can give to somebody (saying) there's an apocalypse and attribute it to one of the most horrific murders we've had in LA," Golan said.
Johnson's social media also included some antisemitic posts, conspiracy theories and warnings about the end of the world.
Monday's total solar eclipse crossed Mexico, the United States and Canada. Southern California only saw a partial eclipse, hours after the three deaths.
