DALLAS — In April of this year a 38-year-old mother of two was murdered.
Amanda Johnson’s death came as a surprise to her family. She was found burned in her vehicle, parked on a rural country road.
As a journalist, it’s most ethical to do disclose when a relationship exists with the subject. Johnson was my cousin, and she’s dearly missed. Given that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this was an opportune time to tell her story.
Here in Texas 228 people have died because of violence from an intimate partner last year, according to the Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV).
Johnson’s story is one of many.
A recent report by the TCFV shows Texans dying at the hands of an intimate partner up 23% over 2019, the highest number in the past decade.
The deaths include 183 women killed by an intimate male partner, 40 men killed by a female partner, and 5 people killed by a same-sex partner. On its website, the TCFV provides a summary of each of the deadly incidents.
Johnson was born and raised in Victoria, Texas and was known for her bold personality and bodybuilder physique.
My mom tells me when I was just 2-years-old I gave her the nickname “Mexican Barbie.” She was very fashionable and always dressed in whatever was trending. She was just four years older, but to me she was a cool big kid.
I remember her performing for us at holiday gatherings and birthday parties. She was great at lip-synching and would entertain my family with her Selena impersonation. She was a natural performer.
In high school, Johnson was a standout cheerleader and we were all very proud of her when her team at Victoria High School achieved national success.
She was a dedicated mother to Max, 13-years-old and Kyler, 9-years-old at the time of her death.
Johnson was passionate about education and health. She worked hard to earn two master’s degrees and had started a doctorate program. She had completed all required courses and examinations, only thing left was her dissertation.
She taught at two elementary schools in Victoria collectively for more than six years.
Known by many of her friends as “A-Rod,” she taught classes at CrossFit 302 in Victoria for about eight years. She loved working out and her friends remember her drive to always stay in shape, a love that was sparked during her cheerleading years.
Johnson also taught at Victoria All Star Dance Academy where she coached the academy’s competitive dance kids. As a dance instructor, she taught recreational classes for students 18-months-old through high school-aged.
Her love for the art could be seen and felt by her students when she performed some of the same stunts she learned in high school.
Friends described her as a private person who was devoted to her work and kids.
On Saturday, Apr. 17, I got a text message letting me know my 28-year-old cousin had been missing for 24 hours. All anyone knew, she was on her way to a nail appointment. It wasn’t like her to just go missing.
The next day, Sunday, Apr. 18, I got the horrible news Johnson’s car had been found burned out in a rural area of Midfield, Texas with human remains inside.
The Matagorda County Sheriff’s Office reached out to authorities in surrounding counties to see if there were any reports involving a missing person.
Family in Victoria had just filed a missing person(s) report with the Victoria Police Department Saturday night.
When the autopsy revealed the body was Johnson the only person investigators were looking for in connection to her death was a man she was intimately involved with.
He eventually turned himself into police and was charged with murder.
Johnson was recently honored at the annual Illuminate Irving event which remembers victims of domestic violence. Organizers aim to bring attention to resources for people who survive violence inflicted by family members or intimate partners.
At the memorial event, lanterns were made by victims’ loved ones, along with survivors of abuse. Lanterns were then placed on water in the fountain at Irving's Millennium Park.
Lanterns for victims glowed purple, the color associated with Domestic Violence Awareness Month, while lanterns for survivors glowed white.
Illuminate Irving is organized, in part, by the city’s Family Advocacy Center (FAC) which works to provide free counseling services to the city’s youth and families.
According to their website, FAC offers free counseling services for victims of crime, domestic violence and families with high-risk juveniles in family, couple or individual therapy settings, as well as education classes. Group counseling and education classes are offered for parenting, overcoming domestic violence, trauma from crime victimization, child abuse and others. Play therapy counseling is provided for children who’s been victimized by abuse or witnessed domestic violence.
My sister Letti Zapata Falley and I attended the event and made a lantern with the last picture Johnson posted on her Facebook page, weeks before her passing.
While Letti held the lantern which read #JusticeForAmanda, a representative with Brighter Tomorrows, a Women's shelter in Irving overheard us talking about our cousin.
“She was so beautiful,” referring to Johnson’s picture, said Jessica Gartin, the organization’s director of education. “Her story is heartbreaking.”
“Brighter Tomorrow’s mission is to help and empower victims of domestic violence and sexual assault by providing emergency safe shelter,” said Gartin. “We help with transitional housing, and support services with the hope of raising awareness of domestic violence in our community.”
At Illuminate Irving the organization displayed six wood cut outs of women silhouettes, 3 red, and 3 purple with a short description of stories and quotes. Gartin said Brighter Tomorrow travels to different events with the silhouettes to bring awareness to domestic violence.
“These silhouettes represent real women” said Gartin. “The red represent victims no longer with us, and the purple represents survivors.”
One of the red silhouettes at the event honored Shirley Diana Weatherley-Barrington, a Springtown, Texas woman shot and killed by her husband in the front yard of her home in August.
Her silhouette read “...I was a devoted mother and grandmother.”
“We’d like to honor Amanda with one of our silhouettes. Maybe, she can be flexing because she was so muscular,” said Gartin. “Her story needs to be shared.”
The idea almost brought Letti to tears.
“It’s nice to have something like this yearly to reflect on, not just Amanda, but all of those who have been taken away tragically from us.” said Letti. “This lantern is a symbol Amanda and countless others will never be forgotten.”If you are in a violent situation, help and guidance can be found by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Advocates are there to listen and help you get through your situation.
The services they provide are free and available 24/7.
Call: 800.799.SAFE (7233)
Chat: Chat live now
If you have an interesting story or an issue you’d like to see covered, let us know about it.
Share your ideas with DFW Human Interest Reporter Lupe Zapata by e-mailing him at Lupe.Zapata@Charter.com