NewsLocal News

Actions

Case against man charged with murdering pregnant girlfriend in Heritage Ranch heading to trial

Heritage Ranch murder suspect appears in court
Posted at 1:27 PM, Feb 22, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-22 16:29:19-05

The case against a man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend at their Heritage Ranch home in 2019 will move forward to trial.

Daniel Raul Rodriguez Johnson was held to answer on all charges following his preliminary hearing last week in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court.

The 33-year-old is charged with two counts of murder plus carjacking, evading a peace officer, theft of a law enforcement vehicle, resisting arrest, and exhibiting of a deadly weapon.

Investigators say Johnson stabbed 27-year-old Carrington Jane Broussard to death, also killing their unborn child.

Johnson was arrested in March of 2019 after authorities say he crashed his car with his two young daughters inside, then stole the car of a California Highway Patrol officer who had responded to the crash. They say Johnson then led officers on a chase from Templeton to San Simeon, where he drove into some bushes and came out of the vehicle holding a utility knife. Officers reportedly shot him with a less-lethal shotgun round and took him into custody.

After Johnson’s arrest, authorities say San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies checked his home and found Broussard’s body.

If convicted, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office says Johnson could face up to life in prison without parole or the death penalty.

He remains in custody at San Luis Obispo County Jail.