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A Michigan sex offender, who has been accused of the brutal murder of his blind girlfriend, now potentially faces a lengthy prison sentence. The grim details reveal that he stored her remains in a motel room for several days after committing the crime.
Daniel J. Varnes, 47, chose to plead no contest on March 3, which coincided with the scheduled start of his trial. He faces charges of second-degree murder, torture, and concealing a death related to the 2024 demise of Teressa Johnson, his girlfriend, as per court documents obtained by Oxygen.
Prosecuting Attorney John McColgan expressed relief over Varnes’ decision to plead, as it spared everyone involved from enduring a trial. “Considering the appalling nature of this crime, no sentence could truly suffice,” McColgan conveyed to Oxygen.
Under the plea agreement, the prosecution has proposed a 32-year sentence, hoping that incarcerating Varnes until he is 80 would prevent any future offenses. His formal sentencing is scheduled for the following month.
He will be formally sentenced next month.
Daniel J. Varnes Tortured Teressa Johnson For Days, Prosecutors Say
According to a 2025 preliminary examination, Johnson’s body was discovered inside a room at the Rodeway Inn and Suites in Saginaw Township on Sept. 1, 2024, by a drug dealer who’d come to collect money from Varnes after he’d run away before paying him for some crack, per MLive.
The dealer would later testify, per the outlet, that he saw a body, concealed by a blanket, laying on a bed in the motel room. As Varnes was trying to explain why he’d stolen the crack, he also allegedly gestured to the bed, noting that he also had “this situation going on.”
When the dealer asked more about what was going on, MLive reported, Varnes allegedly told him “You know exactly what that is,” before showing him the body hidden under the blanket.
Investigators estimated that between Aug. 18, 2024, and Sept. 1, 2024, Varnes caused “extreme physical or mental main and suffering” to Johnson as he inflicted “great bodily injury or severe mental pain and suffering,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by Oxygen.
After his arrest, Varnes allegedly admitted to torturing Johnson—who suffered from a visual impairment—by beating her with his fists, boots and a ratchet, according prosecutor’s account in a bond recommendation obtained by MLive. He also used needle nose pliers on her mouth to “shut her up” and burned her face with a crack pipe, prosecutors wrote.
Investigators later recovered the rachet and pliers—along with scissors, side cutters and screwdrivers—which all tested positive for Johnson’s blood, the outlet reported.
A medical examiner would later determine that Johnson died of “multiple traumatic injuries.”
Investigators believe that Varnes killed Johnson sometime between August. 30, 2024, and Sept. 1, 2024, and then failed to notify anyone of her death, per the complaint.
Varnes is considered a “habitual offender” after having been convicted of at least three prior felonies, including a conviction for felony battery, attempted criminal sexual conduct in the second-degree of a person under 13 and attempted sexual offenders-failure to comply with reporting duties, according to the complaint.
He’s currently being held at the Saginaw County jail while he awaits his formal sentencing.
Oxygen reached to Varnes’ attorney but did not receive an immediate reply.