Johnson pleas guilty: Soldier admits to murdering woman last year

FORT LEONARD WOOD— After several months of waiting, Spc. Jermaine Johnson’s court martial preceedings are over.

Johnson, 26, admitted Friday he killed Myria Silva, 23, another Soldier’s wife, on or about Oct. 10, 2008.

Johnson originally faced several charges, including premeditated murder, sodomy, adultery, kidnapping, obstructing justice, assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and intent to deceive or provide false statements.

He plead not guilty on all counts, including premeditated murder, but plead guilty to a lesser count of murder.

Johnson will serve a 30 year prison sentence, with credit for pre-trial confinement of 320 days, be dishonorably discharged from the Army and demoted to the rank of E-1.

He was assigned to GLWACH at the time of the incident.

Johnson admitted to having an affair with Silva, saying, “I thought I had met my match, I thought that I found my missing piece. She was beautiful... I looked her square in the eyes and I knew thatI wanted to be with her. I had to have her.” 

Johnson and Silva orignally met at Silva’s then-place of employment— the Rockin’ R Saloon, where Silva was a waitress. He said he didn’t know at first that Silva was already married to Pfc. Benjamin Silva.

“One night she just said that she had something to tell me, she didn’t know how to and she said that she was married,” Johnson said. “I was destroyed... I loved her, I didn’t want to let her go.” 

The relationship continued, however, though Johnson said he tried to end it.

Silva’s husband, Pfc. Benjamin Silva, was deployed in Iraq at the time of her death.

Silva’s body was discovered in an abandoned shed in Webster County days after her throat had been cut.

Johnson cried Friday, his voice often breaking, as he provided testimony as to what happened the night Myria Silva died.

Though Johnson said he was drunk at the time of the incident, he said he was aware of his actions and what he was doing.

He described, in detail, how he beat Silva then drove her to a secluded area off Fort Leonard Wood. He eventually stopped on the side of the road, and while he was thinking about killing himself, Silva began to wake again.

Wanting her to stay asleep, Johnson said, “I turned, I knelt over her and began to punch her and I hit her with my left hand as hard as I could and after I hit with my left hand, I swung with my right hand,” Johnson said.

His right hand was holding a kitchen knife, and he ended up hurting Silva more than he expected when the knife slashed her throat, he said.

“I watched her as she bleed from the cut on her neck and did nothing,” Johnson said. “I watched her die. I had no legal justification for killing her. It wasn’t self defense or any other good reason,” he said.

Asked to explain what he meant by saying he was “scared”, Johnson said “I was scared of what was going to happen to me. I was scared of the consequences of what I was doing.” 

Judge Charles Hayes asked Johnson if what happened was an accident, to which he  replied “It was no accident.” 

Johnson appeared to be remorseful as he explained his actions, and spoke about the woman he claimed to love.

“I want to apologize. I’m truly sorry I took Myria away. I want to apologize to her mother, her father, her husband, her friends... Amelia and Paris for taking their mother away,” he said. “I hurt so many people and I’ll never forgive myself. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.” 

Several family members and friends testified during the proceedings for both the prosecution and defense, including Johnson’s mother and Silva’s mother and husband.

“I’m empty,” Silva’s mother said. “My world’s destroyed... I have no life. I’m paranoid. I won’t even talk to men... It’s just destroyed me. It’s taken away everything I ever believed in.”