Day 2 of murder trial for Kellie Johnson accused of killing son Jonathan Vetter - Action News
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Saskatoon

Day 2 of murder trial for Kellie Johnson accused of killing son Jonathan Vetter

Johnson's five-year-old son was found with fatal injuries at a Saskatoon home in 2014.

WARNING: This story contains graphic details

Kellie Johnson murder trial unexpectedly delayed

9 years ago
Duration 0:42
Kellie Johnson murder trial unexpectedly delayed

The trial of a Saskatoon mom accused of killing her five-year old son showed a chilling picture on Tuesday during the second day in court.

Kellie Johnson, 37,is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her son Jonathan Vetter. Vetter was found with fatal injuries in a home on Avenue R on Jan. 4, 2014. He died at the scene.

In an agreed statement of facts, court heard that Johnson stabbed her son to death in his sleep with a knife she had bought two weeks earlier.

The Crown and Johnson's lawyeragreed that on the night of the incident Johnson could not sleep. She was on the computer, with her son asleep on thefloor and another child asleep in a bed in the room. Jonathan's grandparentswere asleep elsewhere in the house.

Johnson started stabbing Jonathan while he slept.

The sounds of Jonathan gasping and gurglingwoke his sleeping sibling up as Johnson ran from the house. The children's grandfather called 911.

Johnson stops for breakfast after allegedly stabbing her son

In the agreed upon statement, court heard that Johnson's next stop was at St.Paul's Hospital.

She used a bathroom to change out of her blood-covered jeans into a darker pair of pants.

Johnson then took a cab to a McDonald's restaurant on Louise Avenue where she ordered breakfast. Johnson took another cab, this time to Royal University Hospital.

When she arrived in the emergency ward, Johnsonwas holding a McDonald's coffee and told a nurse that she was hallucinating and may have hurt her son very badly. In the statement of facts, court heard that Johnson told the nurse she was trying to save her child from hell.

Soon after, police arrived at the hospital and arrested Johnson.

The question court will still have to consider is whether Johnson can be held criminally responsible.

"What is her diagnosis? I'm not going to go into that because there are 40 pages of psychiatric and psychological reports that detail all of that," defence lawyer Leslie Sullivan told reporters outside the courthouse.

"We have to demonstrate that Miss Johnson was suffering from a disease of the mind, or a mental disorder. And I would think that that's not an issue here."

Video evidence submitted in court

Court heard testimony from Saskatoon Police Sgt. Kevin Montgomery. Montgomery was the first officer who interviewed Johnson after she was arrested.

Montgomery played a two-hour videotaped interview with Johnson for the court.

In the video, Johnson said she had hallucinations from time to time. She mentioned a "bad lady"who had power over her.

"She stalks me by talking to me, threatening me. She just wouldn't stop," Johnson is heard saying during the police interview.

After some time during that interview, Johnson insisted she wanted to leave, saying her lawyer had advised her not to say anything about her son.

Kellie Johnson being led into court by police. (Dan Zakreski/CBC News)

"I talked too much," she muttered on the video. "Just trying to protect that lady."

Johnson continued talking about the mysterious woman, saying she was evil.

"I don't know if you believe in the devil, but that's what I think she is."

Johnson also spoke about her son's father,MyronVetter, in the interview room video. Johnson said she made herself scarce when Myronvisited his son.

"He's a monster," she said in the video. "He opened Satan's doors."

Vetter'sfamily shook their heads as the accused spoke about him in the video. In the box for the accused, Johnson remained impassive, flipping through transcripts of the interview.

Sgt. Montgomery told court the accused appeared sober and lucid throughout the interview.

"She was calm," he said. "She didn't show much emotion. She seemed to follow the conversation."

Five-year-old Jonathan Vetter was found dead in a Saskatoon home in 2014. (Vetter family)

Johnson has spent much of the time since her arrest at Saskatchewan Hospital, a mental health facility in NorthBattleford.

The trial was supposed to run all week, but one of the three expert medical witnesses is very ill. The next available dates to continue are not untilMay.