Erica Green

**Erica Michelle Marie Green** (May 15, 1997 - April 28, 2001) also known as **Precious Doe**, was an American three-year-old girl who was murdered in Kansas City, Missouri, in April 2001.

## Events

### Backstory

Erica Michelle Marie Green was born on May 15, 1997 in McLoud, Oklahoma. Her mother, Michelle Pierce, had been in prison for just over a month for larceny. The Mabel Bassett Correctional Center didn’t allow inmates’ children to live with them, so Michelle had to find a guardian for Erica. She chose Betty Brown, a friend of her grandmother.

Erica was raised in Oklahoma, mostly by Betty, who said Erica was one of the most independent children she had ever met. Betty described Erica as a happy little girl; she knew how to spell her name; she liked to carry little purses and wear hats when she went to church; she liked the TV Show Barney and Teletubbies.

On April 4, 2001, Michelle picked up three-year-old Erica, saying she wanted to take her to a family reunion. Michelle and her then-boyfriend, Harrell Johnson took Erica and one of Harrell’s children to Kansas City, Missouri, where they moved in with one of his cousins. Michelle had been in the area to look for a job, but ended up getting into drugs. And Betty Brown would never see Erica again.

### Murder

In late April 2001, the Johnsons were living in Kansas City with Harrell’s cousin. Also living with them was Harrell’s child, six-month-old Markeshia Johnson, as well as Erica Green. One night, Harrell grew frustrated with Erica because she didn’t want to go to bed. He was already drunk, which could have contributed to his frustration. He was also high on PCP at the time. With Michelle close by, an angry Harrell began kicking Erica until she was unconscious.

When Michelle realized what had happened, she was horrified. But both of them had outstanding warrants for their arrest, so they didn’t want to seek medical help for Erica. Michelle tried to revive Erica by putting her in a bathtub full of cold water, but it didn’t work. Erica never woke up, and it's estimated that she was unconscious between ten hours and two days before she died.

After Erica’s death, the couple hid her body in a baby stroller. Armed with a pair of hedge clippers, they took her to the wooded area where her body was eventually found. They took her clothes off, and Harrell cut off her head with the hedge clippers to prevent her from being identified. They initially put her head in the dumpster of the nearby church, but Michelle was afraid people at the church would smell it. So they took it out and dumped it in the woods.

The next day, when Harrell’s cousin asked where Erica was, Michelle told her Betty Brown, the woman who raised her, had come and taken her back to Oklahoma. Over the next four years, she told similar lies to Erica’s siblings and Larry Green. Sometimes she would refuse to talk about Erica at all. Nobody ever reported her missing because they believed she was simply somewhere else.

### Discovery

On April 28, 2001, the decapitated body of a young African-American girl was found near Hibbs Park at 59th Street and Kensington Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. On May 1, 2001, the young girl's head was found wrapped in a trash bag approximately 150 to 200 yards southeast of the body discovery site.

Investigators determined that she had been beaten with an ashtray found with the body and kicked several times, causing extensive injuries throughout her body, and then decapitated in an effort to keep police from being able to identify the body. The ashtray lacked DNA or fingerprints, and the unidentified girl was known by the multiple-use name Precious Doe, which was used in public broadcasts in an effort to identify her.

### Identification

For four years, Erica remained unidentified, referred to only as "Precious Doe". Community activists refused to give up on the little girl even though there had been no new information for years. An advert was placed in an African-American newspaper by activist Alonzo Washington appealing for new information.

On April 30, 2005, the ad was answered. A man named Thurman McIntosh (Harrell Johnson's grandfather) called the Alonzo and told him he had the answers. He knew Erica's name and he knew who killed her. He claimed to have tried for years to tell the police but that the police thought he was crazy and would hang up on him. Thurman McIntosh told Alonzo that his grandson (Harrell Johnson) was the killer and that Harrell's wife, Michelle, was Erica's mother.

Alonzo asked Thurman McIntosh to send him a sample of Michelle's hair so that the DNA could be compared to Erica's DNA. On May 5, 2005, Precious Doe was publicly identified as Erica Green, a three-year-old from Oklahoma.

Shockingly, when Alonzo saw a picture of Michelle Johnson, he realised he had seen her before attending one of the many Precious Doe vigils that had happened in the four years prior.

### Arrest

Erica's mother, Michelle Johnson (also known as Michelle Pierce), and her stepfather, Harrell Johnson, were interrogated, charged with murder and extradited from Oklahoma to face charges in Missouri. Michelle Johnson's eight other children were taken into state custody or placed with relatives.

On December 3, 2005, prosecutors announced that they would seek the death penalty against Erica's stepfather, Harrell Johnson.On December 3, 2005, prosecutors announced that they would seek the death penalty against Erica's stepfather, Harrell Johnson.

### Conviction

On October 8, 2008, Harrell Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. On October 22, 2008, Michelle Johnson was sentenced to 25 years in prison, in exchange for her 2007 guilty plea to second-degree murder and testimony against her husband.

Harrell later appealed his conviction. According to his and Michelle’s testimony, Erica’s death had been in the heat of the moment and not premeditated, a requirement for first degree murder. But the appeal was denied because of the deliberate decision not to seek medical attention for Erica, which probably would have saved her.

### Aftermath

In 2010, Erica’s biological father, Larry Green, filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. According to the lawsuit, they should have monitored Erica after she was born and had better procedures in place to determine who would get custody of her. It also said the Department of Corrections should contact the Oklahoma Department of Human Services when an inmate gives birth so the child could be better cared for. The lawsuit was settled in 2013.

The DHS, DOC and the University of Oklahoma Medical Center — where Erica was born — agreed to “adopt new procedures to ensure the babies born to mothers in prison will be referred to DHS to plan for the safe placement of the newborn before the baby leaves the hospital.” An undisclosed amount of monetary compensation was paid to Larry Green, and the DHS said they would collectively refer to the new policies as ‘Erica’s Rule.’

On May 15, 2017, community activists gathered at Erica’s new grave to have a party for her on what would have been her 20th birthday. At the party, activists handed out fliers for groups like Momma on a Mission, Mothers in Charge and Corey’s Network, all dedicated to advocating for victims of violence and their families.

## News

*For news articles on Erica Green, see here.*

## External links

* Erica Michelle Marie Green • Find a Grave
* ‘Precious Doe’ — Toddler Erica Green Was Killed By Her Parents In 2001 • Our Black Girls
* Murder of Erica Green • Wikipedia

## In popular media

### Television

* Cold Case Killers - *Blood Money/Precious Doe* (10 July 2005)
* Deadliest Mums and Dads - *Who Killed Precious Doe?* (23 April 2022)