Hendersonville man sentenced to minimum of 125 years for rape of minor
Following a four-day trial, a Hendersonville man who was sentenced to 15 years for the rape of a child in 2006 was found guilty again Feb. 8 for the rape of another minor and will spend the rest of his life in prison, according to a Feb. 14 news release from District Attorney Andrew Murray.
During the second week of a two-week Henderson County Superior Court term, Michael Johnson, 53, was found guilty of five counts of statutory rape of a minor by a jury that deliberated less than two hours. He was sentenced by Judge William Stetzer to five consecutive terms of 25 years minimum and 34 years maximum for a total of 125 years minimum and 170 years maximum.
The ruling comes 18 years after Johnson was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years for the rape of a 6-year-old in 2006, according to past Times-News reporting. He was originally convicted in 2002 and when given the sentence in 2006, he was credited with time already served and was released in 2016.
According to the investigation and court trial records, Johnson married the mother of the minor victim in this case in 2020. The mother then moved her minor children in with the defendant, despite knowing he was a convicted child molester that spent time in prison for the 2006 sentence, Murray said in the release.
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Shortly after the children were moved into the home where Johnson resided, he sexually abused one of the children, according to the news release from Murray. Eventually, the child reported the abuse to a trusted surrogate grandfather figure.
Murray said in the release that the victim's surrogate grandfather immediately reported the abuse to law enforcement, who began an investigation. This resulted in Johnson being charged with five counts of statutory rape of a minor who is 15 years of age or less.
During a four-day trial the child victim testified about how Johnson would isolate them by sending her mother to the store and then rape the child while the mother was away. The victim testified that they silently suffered from multiple rapes over several years.
Also during the trial, the jury heard testimony from a woman who had been raped as a young girl by Johnson several decades prior to the present offense, Murray said.
"This brave young woman testified about when she was a young girl, and the new stepdaughter of the defendant, how he similarly would isolate her from her mom and rape her," Murray said in the release. "At the conclusion of the trial, the jury deliberated for less than two hours before reaching a unanimous verdict of guilty to all five counts of statutory rape."
Murray said Johnson was brought to justice thanks to the work of local law enforcement and to the victims in the case who testified during the trial.
Murray said the victims displayed "unyielding bravery and their willingness at trial to confront their evil perpetrator of these abhorrent crimes in order to make certain that justice was served."
According to a news release from the city of Hendersonville, the Hendersonville Police Department began the investigation into the sexual assault of a minor on Jan. 6, 2021. Over the course of the investigation, the police worked with Safelight Child Advocacy Center, the Henderson County Department of Social Services and the Henderson County District Attorney’s Office to successfully prosecute Johnson, the release said.
Attempts to reach Johnson's lawyer, Will Sullivan of the public defender's officer, were unsuccessful.
Need help?
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs help or resources, contact:
Safelight: A nonprofit agency that provides support for victims of interpersonal violence, sexual assault and child abuse. Phone: 828-693-3840. Address: 133 Fifth Ave. W., Hendersonville
True Ridge: A nonprofit agency that provides “culturally-relevant bilingual advocacy, case management and guidance in a safe space. Phone: 828-205-1170. Address: 10 Edney St., Suite A, Hendersonville.
RAINN: (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) 800-656-4673, www.rainn.org.
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Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Hendersonville man sentenced again for rape of minor, gets 125 years
