Daniel Johnson was worried about the eclipse.
The astrology influencer and “sacred healer” who goes by the name Daniel Ayoka online called the upcoming astronomical phenomenon “the epitome of spiritual warfare” in a Thursday post on X. He told people they needed to “choose a side.”
Less than three days later, in the early morning hours before a partial solar eclipse, Johnson left a trail of tragedy. Her partner was stabbed to death in the kitchen of a Woodland Hills family apartment, and her 8-month-old baby died. Johnson was struck by a Porsche Cayenne he was traveling on 405, and Johnson himself died when he crashed his car on Pacific Coast Highway in Redondo Beach.
Wake up, wake up, the apocalypse is here. Everyone who has ears, please listen. Now is the time to choose what you believe. If you believe a new world is possible for people, please RT now.
There is power in choice.THE POWER IS CHOICE!!!! Please repost to make a choice for the group pic.twitter.com/NMyuLkBj5l
— Ayoka (@MysticxLipstick) April 5, 2024
Investigators found tarot cards and a black feather lying around in a Woodland Hills apartment.
Law enforcement officials told the Times on Wednesday that Ayoka, who worked online as an R&B recording artist and astrologer offering self-help and healing sessions for a fee, was involved in the two deaths. Johnson admitted to being the suspect in the incident.
The Los Angeles Police Department has released little information about the motive for the death, emphasizing that the investigation is ongoing. Lt. Guy Golan, a homicide supervisor with the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Bureau, said Johnson and her partner, Jalen Allen Chaney, 29, have no history of domestic violence or reports to LAPD. . Golan said there had been no signs of domestic conflict so far.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said there was no clear motive and that investigators believe Eclipse played a role in the killing due to some of what Johnson wrote days earlier. He says he thinks it's possible.
Under the nickname Ayoka, Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a barrage of anti-Semitic rhetoric, conspiracy theories and alarming warnings on Thursday and Friday. These include reposting a debunked speech attributed to Ben Franklin about how Jews were “degrading” the societies in which they settled, and about Jews promoting pedophilia in the entertainment industry. video, which contained an unproven theory about the origins of COVID-19.
In late March, she posted a GIF of a tapered candle surrounded by leaves, calling it a “free eclipse protection candle for mind and body” and advising users to “make sure to activate it.” did. But as the eclipse approached, her posts became more alarming. On Friday, she wrote a message in capital letters that read: those are lies. It's sold out and in the wrong direction. Wake up! “
Solar eclipses are full of intrigue of impending doom. Despite the lack of reliable evidence, social media posts gained attention, including one on Reddit that expressed concern about an impending “massive human sacrifice” during the eclipse.
In 2017, NASA published a webpage dedicated to debunking various myths surrounding that year's solar eclipse. One was that solar eclipses were predictions of major life changes and impending events.
“This is a common interpretation found in astrological predictions, which are themselves based on chance or unscientific beliefs about how celestial events control human behavior,” NASA said. It is stated on the web page.
NASA points out that it's only human psychology that “associates solar eclipses with future events in life.”
Despite her penchant for offensive posts, Johnson was popular online, with X having more than 100,000 followers who liked her increasingly worrying messages. A few years ago, she became a media darling, with numerous sites such as Refinery29 and The Fader posting glowing reviews of Johnson's skills as a “clairvoyant” giving her followers a description of each zodiac sign. , [guiding] Guide them to good health through detailed lunar rituals. ” She frequently posted about specific zodiac signs and how they were being influenced by astrological movements at the time.
Refinery29 said Johnson had “tremendous talent”. shout nonsense of Sun signs that need the real truth”
Johnson started pursuing astrology and Reiki (an energy healing technique) about 10 years ago, but decided to post about it on social media because people her age didn't know about the practice at the time, she said in September. said in a podcast interview. . She couldn't be hugged right away.
“I received so many things. [flak] “When I went on the internet and became an astrologer and started doing Reiki and doing distance healing,” she said.
Johnson said on the podcast that he is a descendant of Cherokee healers and was born with the ability to see spirits and a high level of intuition.
According to her website, Ms. Johnson's own near-death experience at age 3 led her to “shamanism.''
“Born into a rich family of indigenous shamans and shamans, Daniel's spiritual gifts began to blossom. After beginning his own healing journey, Daniel began teaching private healers in 2011. ” her website says.
She offered weekly aura cleansing for $2.99 ($1.99 for site members), as well as a healing series for $150 a month for five months, but the price sparked some criticism online. Ta.
“This series will be life-changing for anyone struggling with self-doubt, second-guessing, and feeling 'good enough,'” she writes on her site. .
She also offers a $6.99 per month home purification service that removes “stagnant energy” from people's homes, citing improved sleep quality and increased “vibrations” as some of the benefits. Enabling the service is easy. Buy her cleanse, take a piece of paper and title it “Home Purifying Her Cleanse” and write your address on it. Then put it away in a safe place, she wrote.
Her neighbors recognized Johnson's kitchen from the candlelight ceremonies she hosts for her followers.
As Ayoka, Johnson was also able to record and release songs through online streaming services, and she had an Instagram account for her music as “ayokamystic.”
Investigators testified about the morning of the murder as follows:
Johnson stabbed Cheney in the heart early Monday morning as she sat on her couch. According to her evidence, she tried to drag her body out of her luxury apartment at the Woodland Hills Montecito Apartments, but at one point she abandoned her efforts and moved her body to the apartment. He reportedly dragged her back to the kitchen.
This action left bloody footprints in the hallway outside, and she was found noticeably limping in the aftermath. She then fled the apartment complex with her two daughters, one 9 years old and the other 8 months old, crashing her car into a gate on the way.
Shortly before 4:30 a.m., as the car approached the Sepulveda Boulevard/Howard Hughes Parkway exit, she threw her oldest daughter out of the car while still holding her daughter in her arms. Her older child survived the fall, but her infant died.
About 30 minutes later, Redondo Beach police responded to a report of a black Porsche Cayenne traveling at more than 100 mph on Pacific Coast Highway near Vincent Street when it struck a tree. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, but his injuries were so severe that identification was difficult.
Two hours later, police arrived at Johnson's apartment after a neighbor reported finding Cheney stabbed to death.
Officials said Cheney served in the Air Force until 2020.
Photos from the National Archives and Records Administration show that Cheney served as a weapons technician with the 31st Munitions Squadron and was stationed in Italy for a period of his service.
Law enforcement officials told the Times that Cheney and Johnson had lived together for more than three years. According to sources, Johnson was apparently in the midst of a divorce from his past partner.
In May 2023, Johnson posted a photo of herself wearing a teardrop-shaped diamond ring on her left hand with the caption, “When a Taurus man spoils you.” The photo was flooded with congratulatory comments. “Yes, when it works, it works,” she replied.