In evidence presented at Spc. Jermaine Johnson's Article 32 hearing today military prosecutors say that Johnson and Myria Silva had been having an affair for seven months.Army Special Agent Joseph Gibbs says that Johnson told him that he and Silva had been partying at a popular club, Area 151, on October 10, 2008. After the couple left the club they headed to Johnson's apartment on the post where a sexual encounter took place.
It is a
lleged that while the couple were having sex Silva said someone else's name and, when she went to use the restroom Johnson intercepted a text message from another man that was sent to her phone asking when she was coming to see him.Those two things enraged Johnson who threw Silva against a wall and began beating the 23 year-old woman with both fists.
Johnson told investigators that he told Silva that he would take her to a hospital to be treated for her wounds, but instead dumped her in a ditch along I-44.
After leaving Silva on the side of the highway, military investigators allege that Johnson went to an area Wal-Mart where he purchased rope, duct tape, a sleeping bag and lighter fluid.
He then went back to the spot that he had left Silva, and picked her up. After telling Silva that he loved her, he allegedly slit his lovers throat.......waiting and watching the blood drain from her body.
Gibbs told the military court that Johnson told him he placed Myria Silva's body in the sleeping bag he had just purchased, loaded it into Silva's Dodge Durango, and started driving aimlessly, looking for a place to dump her body; settling on an abandoned property in Webster County.
Investigators with the CID say that Johnson told them that after he dumped Myria's body in the vacant farmhouse near Niangua, he drove Silva's S-U-V to St. Robert, and left it at a motel, and took a cab back to the base.
Johnson, who sat expressionless in the courtroom today, went back to the motel to move Silva's vehicle again to a cul-de-sac before his shift the next day at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital, where he worked as a health care specialist.
Knowing he would be late for his shift, he called his supervisor to say that his cab was stuck in traffic in Dixon.
Myria Silva's body was found October 14th on the property of an abandoned farmhouse in Niangua that has since burned to the ground.
Jermaine Johnson was arrested at Fort Leonard Wood on October 14th on seven charges related to Silva's death, they are: premeditated murder; adultery; kidnapping; intent to deceive or provide false statements; sodomy; assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and obstructing justice.
Inside sources tell me that while Johnson was being processed at the Fort Knox Regional Confinement Center in Kentucky investigators found Silva's military issued identification in his wallet.
It was at Fort Knox that investigators let Johnson speak with his mother whom he allegedly told, "I did it, but don't know why." He allegedly told investigators that, "the hardest thing I ever had to do was tell my mother I killed another woman."
Myria's mother, Katie Duniphan, told me that, "as hard as it was to hear, I had to know what he did to my baby......she was my best friend."
Pfc. Benjamin (Benji) Silva was deployed to Iraq when his wife was murdered. He has since returned, however, he was not in the courtroom today. Duniphan says that she knows it would have been extremely hard for him to hear what happened to his wife.
Katie Duniphan says that since her only child was murdered the most precious things she has are her granddaughters, Paris and Millie. Duniphan says, "I hope Benji will let me see my grand-babies....I don't ever want them to forget about their mama."
Myria's father, Dave Middleton, who lives in Colorado near the Utah border, says he is extremely upset with how the military has handled his daughters death. He says, "when I called the coroner and the base to check on my daughter, they would only say that they thought they had someone by that name.....I only learned for sure that it was my daughter from the news."
Defense attorneys for Jermaine Johnson have questions about how some of the evidence presented by the trial council was collected, and about how statements were taken in the case.
An investigating officer, (which is the equivalent of a judge in a criminal setting,) will determine if there is enough evidence to proceed with the court martial, the military equivalent to a criminal trial. That decision could be handed down anywhere from a few days to two months.
***UPDATE (02-24-09):
The soldier accused of killing another soldiers wife last year has been referred for court martial.
Specialist Jermaine Johnson is accused of killing Myria Silva last October and dumping her body in an abandoned farmhouse near Niangua.
Johnson is scheduled to be arraigned next Thursday, March 5th, at 8 a.m. at Fort Wood were he will enter a plea.
Inside sources close to the case have indicated to me that Johnson is expected to plead guilty at a separate sentencing hearing to Silva's brutal murder in exchange for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
UPDATE (03-06-09) :
The formal arraignment of a soldier stationed at Fort Leonard accused of killing a fellow soldiers wife was over in a matter of minutes.
Tiffany Wood spokeswoman for the post says the hearing for Spc. Jermaine Johnson lasted about 10 minutes.
Spc. Jermaine Johnson is accused of killing Myria Silva last October after he became irate when another man texted the woman while they were having sex.
Prosecutors say that Johnson beat Myria up and told her he would take her to the hospital..... instead they say he took Silva on a rambling car ride, slit the young mother's throat and then dumped her body in an abandoned farmhouse near Niangua.
On the advice of his attorney's, Spc. Johnson deferred entering a plea.
What that means is that it gives Johnson and his attorney's a little longer to decide how they want to proceed to trial; and preserves any and all motions available to him under the military court.
If they decide they want a judge to hear the case, Colonel Charles Hayes will be the sitting judge. If they decide they want a group of Johnson's peers to hear the case then a jury of his peers will be assembled.
Johnson's trial is scheduled to begin on May 18th at the post.
*****Myria's father and step-mother have a memorial page set up for her. You can link to it here.
Obituary here.
22 comments:
Trucker's Wife here,
Myria DID NOT want Johnson in her life. Myria told friends NOT to tell Johnson of her where-abouts.
Yet Johnson stands up in court and says they had a lengthy "affair", they had consentual "sex", they "partied together", they "drank together". Did anyone SEE all the things Johnson states THEY did together? Where they seen in public clubs partying and drinking together? Did Myria infact LEAVE with Johnson when just days before she DID NOT want him knowing where she was?
Myria can't tell us her side of the story, Johnson killed her.
My thoughts are this .... IF Johnson saw her in a bar she DID NOT go there to meet him or go there with him, he saw her and slipped something into her drink and took advantage of her drugged state of mind and told others he was her friend and would see her home and instead he had his way with her unconcious body and when she came to much too quickly he killed her to cover up what he had done.
Remember, Myria can't tell us her side of the story, we the living must speak for her.
It's odd that the house burned down Myra was found in. There may have been evidence there to show us ALL more about the case. Who burned the house? Does anyone know?
Johnson had the opportunity in court to leave good memories behind for her daughters who had done NOTHING to Johnson. He chose to take her down with him. He chose to make her look as bad as we KNOW he was.
Johnson knows he will get nothing less than life for Myria's murder so why not leave good memories behind for her children?
Johnson was not much of a man before Myria's murder, we know that, he had the one opportunity to act like a better man and leave some good memories for her family and little girls and he AGAIN chose NOT TO.
From one truckers wife to another. Did you Know Jermaine Johnson at all. I'm sure you didn't. I did, this a horrible thing and unfortunatly he is deserving of whatever punishment he gets. He was a near brother to my son who is now so confused and lost about all of this that I fear for him. This is not the Jermaine that we know. I feel horrible for Myria's family. I also feel guilty that maybe I did not do enough for Jermaine and his brother while they were younger. Was I to late to help either of them. This reached far beyond Myria's tragic death to a society that allows children to be disregarded and thrown away. Not only Myria's family is suffering over this. How do you accept that someone you love can to something so terrible. I don't know but I get the feeling I better figure it out for my own sake and the sake of my son. All the ignorant speculation on the part of strangers only serves to prolong the pain of the loss of Myria and unfortunatly for some of us the loss of the Jermaine we knew as well.
This is unbelieveable. First I do wonna send my deepest sympathy to Myria's family and even though she wont physically be hear always keep her in all hearts. Some people say that this is not the Jermaine that they knew but I grew up with Jermaine and he dated a friend of mine and was very abusive and controlling. Myria and her family are the ones that have lost someone. The Jermaine that I knew when I was 10 died a long time ago. The Jermaine that took Myria's life was a monster and deserves to be tortured. A lot of woman were scared of Jermaine and he never knew how to take no for an answer. I think that anyone that teys to make Jermaine out to be a good guy outta die right along with him. He told Myria's kids mother from them and you can't tell me that a good person would do that. I hope they give him what he deserves.
I am going to agree with anonymous...I knew Jermaine for a brief time and in that time he was VERY abusive and abrasive to mostly all he came in contact. I give my DEEPEST condolences to the family and friends and wish there was a way this could have been prevented. Jermaine had his moments on goodness,though. In the end, the negatives are what prevailed
Learning of Myria's death from the alleged actions of Jermaine Johnson weighs heavily. I've known Jermaine for a long time. Although I had hoped his behaviors would improve, the outcome of escalating anger and abusiveness have resulted in what I had feared might happen and my heart goes out to Myria's husband, children, parents and extended family. While we have to treat Jermaine as anyone accused of a crime -- that the individual is innocent until proven guilty to prevent wrongful punishment of those who may be innocent, there are situations when someone is known to engage in abusive behavior that we can surmise they are not innocent, particularly if that person admits to the offense. A correct punishment should then be administered. Jermaine is a known offender; this situation should have been preventable because the military knew about the behaviors and had the duty to address these previously by providing help to Jermaine and by protecting the public. I worry that a technicality releasing Jermaine back into the community would increase his boldness because of the lack of a consequence and further endanger others that he has previously threatened or injured or place someone new in harms way. The military needs to address such behaviors whether the soldier is in the reserves or on active duty and to ensure the safety of individuals with whom the offending soldier has contact. The miliary has simply looked the other way even with the evidence that Jermaine was convicted of abusive behavior. Unfortunately, I suspect knowing this will not be comforting to Myria's family but they should know there are those of us who understand what they may be experiencing and we support them in their grief at the unnecessary loss of Myria in this terrible and tragic situation.
I am Brian E. Brutus. Jermaine is my older brother I have been through so many things with Jermaine. I want to send my deepest sympathy to the family left one short of whole no one deserves that. I am in no way saying what he is on trial for is right, but to know Jermaine Johnson is like being in the room with a man who was searching for the rest of his life. We did not have alot of the things the people surrounding us had while we were growing up. Jermaine choose the army to keep from being where he is today. Anyone who knows my brother knows he wanted kids,he cryed his self to sleep many nights scared the one thing he could have loved and would always love him back, he would never get the chance to have.
My brother has never led me to belive he would be able to do such a thing to another human. Jermaine is a loving person. I hate the fact that with one life gone the world would take another. If he did do it what good would come from two families short one of whole. My brother has been my rock for as long as I can remember, and it breakes my heart to hear people who dont know a thing about him talk that way of him. What if it was your kid, brother, or dad how would you feel. Again I send my deepest sympathy to everyone in pain over the loss of a loving soul.
Jermaine has been a best friend/brother of mine for almost ten years now. Jermaine was never before this a violent, nor abusive individual. I am terribly sorry for this young girl and her family and I send out my deepest sympathy. This whole ordeal has been a shock to me. I still cant believe that the man I have called brother for years was capable of such a crime. It drives me crazy that people can get on here and write such horrible things about an individual none of them even knew! You may say you know Jermaine. But no one knows Jermaine like his brother and I. No one is saying what Jermaine did was right because it was completey wrong. I just ask that if you have rude comments to make about this individual, please keep them to yourselves. He has family out there just like Myria that has now lost someone close to them who they deeply love and care about. Two lives were taken in this event...we should all learn from this and come together as people and stop all the pity violence.
I feel terrible for the whole Sylva family, and also for Jermaines family too. I know theres a lot of people who are goint to say what they want to say about the horrible loss,some true and some false based on here say. Me and Jermaine were together from late June to the day I found out what happened,I NEVER seen a bad side to him,he always treated me and my child great. It hurts me to know what kind of person he had hidden from me and others. I would come to him and his roommates apartment about once a week,the last time we saw each other was October 4th and still hadnt seen a sign of violence in him,or a sign he was seein someone else. I just never seen anything like this in him,at all,he was just so loving, the complete opposite of what he did.
Its sad to see what kind of people are in this world and to know that someone could hurt another person,especially a mother when that person always talked so great about his mother. I wish the best for the little girls, and the rest of the family. Theres so much to learn from this tragic situation but seeing Myria's mother and father in the court room at his hearing opened my eyes knowing that possibly that couldve been my parents. After hearing what exactly he did, it was then i actually came out of denial and realized you can know a person your whole life or a week and it doesnt matter, because if that person doesnt know thereself-theyre capable of anything, even the worst things. My prayers go to both families because like his brother said theres 2 families that have lost a loved one, but I hope there is justice served, even though justice wont bring Myria back.
I don't wish to belabor the issue about Jermaine because the impact of Myria's death and Jermaine's arrest is very difficult to fathom. Contrary to Brian's comments, there are those of us who do not Jermaine and who also know he became increasingly controlling and abusive. His convictions regarding abuse and the restraining orders are a matter of public record. It is a matter of going to Iowa Courts on Line and it is there in black and white. I know that Jermaine wanted a better life for himself. I know that Brian looked up to Jermaine. I know, also, Brian's own brushes with the law. The fact remains that nowhere along the line was there a recognition by the military or the court system to address the issues that developed. Jermaine deserved better but so have the victims of Jermaine's violent and controlling behaviors. I have yet to see an outcome of his military hearing. Perhaps it hasn't been rendered, but the military has not responded to requests for an update regarding the decision in the hearing and what follows. To Brian I would say, you may not have seen the control and violence in Jermaine but you weren't in the type of relationship with him that it would have necessarily been obvious. However, considering your apparent need for understanding, I would urge you to get to someone and work through the issues because this is obviously very painful for you. And, considering your familial history, it is in your best interest to learn from the situation so that you can be a support for Jermaine. For the Myria's family, I can only hope that you know that support remains for you. It is a long road to recover from a violent episode and I think about your well being everyday.
I contacted The public information officer @ Fort Wood two weeks ago and she had no word on the court martial of Spc. Jermaine Johnson.
She said the commanding officer was reviewing the case and expected a ruling to be handed down within the next week or so.
I will update everything when I get the ruling.
I would like the opportunity to speak with those who know Jermaine, I know he has friends and family who love him as well.
My phone number is 417-224-1897.
kathee
I knew both Jermaine and Brian. They are both controlling and abusive men. For Brian to say that Jermaine was his rock really isnt saying much knowing how Brian has turned out. I cannot believe that this has happened. I feel horrible that this young girl got tangeled in a web with this man. He deserves everything that is coming to him. Lets just hope his brother doesnt follow in the footsteps of his "rock".
I have been thinking about this all day and reading these comments over and over again. Some of these comments are sounding like "poor Jermaine" which isnt right. I knew Jermaine, Brian, their uncle and many of their friends. I knew how they lived and how they treated people and to be honest, it wasnt the best. Both Brian and Jermaine have had many run-in's with the law including domestic violence so this isnt something knew. However, I am shocked that Jermaine had the ability to kill someone. It could have been me, it could have been anyone of the girls Jermaine messed around with, which there were many. He was never known as a faithful partner, and Brian took after his brother in that respect. I feel terrible for Myria and her family and mostly her children. No one deserves their life to be ended that way and to be taken by Jermaine. I am so sorry for your loss. What goes around comes around and it is coming around to Jermaine. Their uncle tried to set them straight but you have to be willing to want to be a good hearted person. Everyone makes mistakes but this kind of mistake cannot be forgiven.
well im sorry to hear all the bad that came out of this i too know jermain and brian both have fought with each other several times but do i feel sorry for jermaine no he is going too get whats comin too him yes i was friends with both and seen both break down and cry like any other human would and if any say that they havent is a fucking liar so i really hope men and women learn from this really how man women have too get hurt too see that some guys will hurt you and some are just talk but said once say it again HE WILL GET WHAT COMES TOO HIM and take it like the MAN he i just pray that Brian (Pappa Smurf) doesnt follow in his footsteps and the same for there step brother david i love all them like my brothers i never could and cant belive it but my prayer go out too both famlies one lost a beutiful daughter and the other is loseing a son so as my friend sayd its a lose lose conflict
i'd first like to send my deepest sympathys to Myria's family and I have been keeping her two little ones in my prayers however I didn't know her. I knew Jay... I myself was dating him as well and there toward the end i began to see this side of him he was possisive..i happened to run into them at the club that night my friend and i even had a little confrontation with him at the club since it was VERY obvious they were there together. i competely agree that you can know someone for years and not fully know what someone is capable of. i would of never thought someone like him could take someones life like that. this was just alittle too close to home. i feel for her family alot and i feel for jays family alot but i dont feel for him one bit. if he could kill someone in the matter he did i feel that he was heartless and he fully deserves whatever comes to him. he lived a normal life the following days after he brutally took this young mothers life. even during the whole thing while he was texting me telling me i over reacted and she was just a friend!!! what kind of person in his right mind can do something like that? it makes no sense.
This story has compelled me to write a comment myself. I just came across this a couple of days ago not realizing that it was as old as it is. I would like to start by saying. Myria obviously wasnt a saint herself. She didnt deserve to die but she wasnt living right either. She was having an affair with this man while her husband was in Iraq(DUMB WAR). Being in the military myself I have seen plenty of women and men cheat on their spouses while they were away. I myself also had affairs, so I am no saint either. This man was a victim too. We dont know what type of things were being said between them. She may have been misleading this man for a long period of time. He got tangled up in her, which if he was a so called player like his former girlfriend said I dont see how he could knowing that she was married anyway. The whole thing is sad. For those of you that are committing adultery as you can see it can end in a tragedy such as this. To all the men and women in military be thoughtful of your spouses while you are seperated for a short period of time unless you too can become a victim of a horrible crime such as this one. Prayers go our to Silva and his kids! Find it hard to sympathize with Myria for had she been more loving and less lusting she may be alive and well today. The heart is a evil thing to play with and she played with Jermaine's heart a little too long. Dont get me wrong in no way am I saying that she deserved to die but something was gonna come to her sooner or later if she continued to live the way she was. There was no drugging involved in this case as people have stated. This was simply a man that couldn't control his emotions and forgot that this woman didnt belong to him in the first place. I am sure it will come to light that this wasnt the only guy that she was involved with. Military wives are some of the biggest sluts I have come across!!! So, if there was a text message from another guy then he too was probably sexually involved with this woman.
I would first like to thank all for the good things said about my daughter because her name should not go down in vain. myria was a beautiful person inside and out. Myria was there for every she new and loved no one knows the fact like me her mother I was there when that precious being came into my life and was there when she left.It's always been me and .had any thing to do with her all she wanted as a child is for her father to acknowledge her that could be verified threw any of myria's Friend's. Now he wants to call him self a father. the coward wouldn't even help me look for her in Ft.Leonard Wood mo.I remember Oct 9 2008 I was at a friends house and said something is wrong I fill Myria needing me. I immediately called a Sgt He called me back Oct 10 4:45 and said no one has seen myria since Oct 9. We just put out a missing report on her OH" my god only grabbing a cover and a pillow I fled to a friends house I said my baby girl is missing I have to get down there now I know I can find her. No way was she letting me go by my self. On the way down I called her father sister in law and ask for him to call me,so he did i told him about are daughter missing her SUV was spotted at a motel in Saint Robert Mo.Her father refused to help me look for her. His excuse was i might have him arrested for child support since he never paid support for myria. I couldn't even hold the phone i hung up in shock knowing I had to face my worst nightmare combing the woods for my daughter I look every ware I thought she might be. we never gave up morning to night we talk to her friends that might know what was going on or what happen.we gather a lot of info before they found Myria. Like a girl friend she just met Shanta toraz I did not have a good filling about her the day we met. I told myria she wasnt her friend to be careful. Shanta that goes by the name of tay.was in myria apt that early sat morning the mp threw her out and her bags and told her not to come back. I went to one of myria friends house she said that tay had told her that Jermaine had beat Myria up so bad that he thought he killed her tay also said myria had bitten Jermaine on his hand that came up in the preliminary hearing that placed her their while Jermaine was beating and rape her tay took it up on her self not to help myria. myria ask tay not to leave her that she was scared. when the beating and the rape took place on military grounds at Jermaine apt. and tay chose to walk away and not tell the police she kept it a secret from the authorities and lied even knowing Jermaine. I think tay should be accountable for her action a assery to murder .I then get a call from her husband and told him some one killed my baby girl his reply was well you know she was seeing two different guys I a drop the phone not believing what he just said t Myria would not want me to give up. for you judgmental people what women knowing that her husband was in iraq trying to meet up with other women over the net myria would of not ben doing what she was doing.don't tell me you wouldn't try to get even and thats how that went.
I just came across this story as well today while reading the Army Times and seeing Johnson's case was moved back again apparently so I Googled and found the story and today alone I have read over 45 post about this story. I did not know either of the victims. I say victimS because Johnson is a victim and so is Myria. Two young lives are lost all over what...sex, lies, and a freakin text message? I am in the military and have heard every story from here to Iraq about spouses both male and female cheating and the results are always BAD! None of us are saints, but if she was bold enough to be seen in public with him while her husband was deployed then she is just as guilty. None of us have any idea what she was telling this man. Her friend said she didn't want Johnson to know her whereabouts a week before but she went out with him to a club on that night and went back to his place. She was playing him becuase he was probably playing her. No man likes to find out that they are "weak" or "lame" sexually with any female no matter whether its his girlfriend, his wife of 12years, a prostitute os some random chick he just met five minutes ago. He wants to think he is the BEST she has ever had. Sad how the male ego works. And for everyone blameing the ARMY for not taking notice of his violent past...please! Someone has to go fight in this damn war, so that all of you civilians can sit here and type on your computers and criticize the same soldiers who are out there fighting for that right. None of you all wanted to put on this damn uniform and go to a hott ass desert for 12 months and get shot at or see your friends blown to pieces so do not criticize the ARMY, criticize HIS family. I remeber a bible verse that says "train up a child in the way that they should go..." Someone said the uncle tried to raise him right but he chose to stray...so he deserves whatever punishment this Earth and whatever is waiting for him when he takes his last breath has for him. only people I fell trully bad for is the children because that amkes two more children growing up in a single parent home in America..another statistic was born when he committed this crime.
So it official he is guilty. 30 years obviously is not enough for this man. The death penalty should have been handed down here. Condolences to Myria's family and friends may she rest in peace. I know the good book says judge lest you be judges but hey I’m only human so I hope when Jermaine's time comes. I hope St Peters gives him the boot for what he has done. He deserves to burn
I am by no means condoning Johnson for what he did and saying Myria deserved what she got. What I am saying is that these military spouses need to get in someone church and lean on God for support when their husbands are gone. It is a tough time. Some spouses need to be more understanding that their husband when they are gone need their support more than a man they choose to be with. If your husband is doing other things in Iraq or wherever he is abroad that is on him. I do not doubt that she had an affair with him because I hear and see that a lot. In this case she didn't know that Johnson was abusive and when she found out she did not want to deal with him. I pray for her family that they can finally have a little peace that he is finally convicted. This is never enough because her family will forever be in grievances for their lost. Knowing her or not, her family needs to know we all are supportive and that we might not understand or feel their pain but we support them. For as Johnson I wish he would have gotten the helped he needed for his temper before this happen. This could have saved Myria’s family and friends and his family and friends the heart ache and pain he has place upon them. We all need to pray and stopped bickering and leave it in the hand of the Lord. My prayers go out to Myria's family, especially her two children and husband. We all need to consider her husband in this because the things he had to hear and endure.
You know Brian E Brutus STABBED HIS WIFE in the face, and beat HER CHILD so badly she wasnt able to sit. She left him in california and returned to iowa ONLY to have him follow her and stalk her.. DRAG her and her child back to cali and abuse her more and when she left again is when he stabbed her after dragging her to a school playground from her fathers home..
yep id say you guys are fully related.. sadly brian only got 5 years in a county jail and will be released next jan.
Brian E Brutus is sitting in Linn County Jail waiting to be sentenced 2-27-2013 crimes committed.
Is all I will say is that I am an ex of Jermaine's and he "lost it" with me as well, back in 2004. I was put in the hospital but dropped charges because everyone made me feel guilty since it would destroy his military career. So sad!!
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