LANSING, Mich. — An Indianapolis man has been sentenced to a minimum of 27 years in prison in connection to a murder and armed robberies where he targeted members of the LGBTQ community in Michigan.
Diabolique Paris Johnson, 35, pleaded guilty in June to murdering a 39-year-old Detroit man during an armed robbery on September 5, 2020 in Detroit.
According to the Michigan Department of Attorney General, Johnson is alleged to have committed another armed robbery on September 1, 2020 at a hotel in Dearborn, Michigan. The victim was a 26-year-old Detroit man. That victim survived.
Investigators believe victims in both cases were targeted on online dating apps because they were members of the LGBTQ community.
Johnson was sentenced to 25 to 45 years for second degree murder and two years to be served consecutively for felony firearm.
For the armed robbery count, Johnson was sentenced concurrently to 15 to 30 years.
Police in Dearborn and Detroit, Michigan and Indianapolis conducted a joint investigation from September 1, 2020 to December 4, 2020, after which Johnson was arrested in Indianapolis.
“It is important to continue to acknowledge that crimes against the LBGTQ community are ignored and are not thoroughly investigated. This is no longer the case in Wayne County thanks to our partnership formed in 2016 with Fair Michigan Justice Project (FMJP),” said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
FMJP is a “program that assists Michigan law enforcement officers and prosecutors in solving serious crimes against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender persons,” according to the attorney general.
