This trial, as reported by the Vermilion County Circuit Clerk’s Office earlier in the week, was prompted by events that took place around August 11, 2022, in Danville. According to the family, Cali Sago fell into a coma shortly after the incident and passed away on September 11, 2022.
2-year-old Cali Sago, who was killed in 2022. During Friday’s proceedings, both the prosecution and the defense presented their closing arguments. Prosecutor Michael Falagario led his argument by presenting the jury with a photograph of the victim, 2-year-old Cali Sago, evoking the emotional weight of the case.
Falagario said Sago was playing tag throughout the day on Aug. 11, 2022 with her brothers and sisters and that her day ended being surrounded by first responders, unable to breathe. He went on to say this was the result of Johnson beating Sago because she was sucking her thumb, a “bad habit” that Falagario said caught Johnson’s attention.
Expert testimony from Dr. Channing Petrak and Dr. Amanda Youmans showed Sago suffered injuries consistent with severe brain trauma and child abuse. This included:
Subdural hematoma
Four rib fractures
Liver injury
Ripped pancreas
Falagario said that Sago’s mom left for work at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 11, 2022, which was seven hours before the 911 call for this incident. During her testimony, Sago’s sister called Johnson “stepdad,” and Falagario said he was the only adult in the vicinity at the time the injuries were sustained.
Falagario further shared that expert doctors said these symptoms could only happen immediately, and since the State said Johnson was the only person around at the time, they argued it must have been him.
Sago’s 10-year-old sister, who was six years old at the time of the incident, said Johnson hit Sago on the top of the head and the chin. The State said Sago’s sister then said she was tired and didn’t want to play anymore.
The State noted that the sister said Johnson took Sago to the bathroom after hitting her and that she heard a loud bang.
Drs. Petrak and Youmans said the injuries Sago sustained are consistent with an adult fist.
In response, public defender Mike Mara, who was representing Johnson, said while the State has proved Sago was abused, they did not prove that Johnson carried out this crime. He noted that the doctors said the injuries are “consistent with” an adult fist but that they also don’t know what happened for sure.
Mara said throughout this process, Johnson was adamant that he did not commit this crime, which he believes is evident through police and Johnson’s testimony, along with body cam footage.
Mara said after Johnson called 911, he was asked what happened upon Danville Police’s arrival to the scene, and Johnson said he didn’t know and that he tried to help Sago. Mara said body cam video confirms this, and that Johnson repeatedly said he didn’t know what had happened to Sago throughout the process of the investigation.
Mara also said doctors said an item was used to hit Sago, but they didn’t know which one.
“We don’t know if police looked for those items or sent them to the state crime lab,” Mara said.
Mara then discredited family testimony, saying testimony from Sago’s mother “doesn’t make sense.” He noted that she lied at the hospital by using a different name to see her daughter because she had warrants for “a crime of dishonesty.”
Sago’s sister said Johnson punched Sago in the chin, but Mara said the doctors showed no evidence of jaw injury.
The defense ultimately argued that either the mom had carried out the murder beforehand, or that “another kid did it.”
The State then provided a rebuttal, which was carried out by Daniel Weiler. Weiler said the murder weapon was in Johnson’s hands and that Sago’s mother had lied about her name in order to see her dying daughter.
Weiler said Sago had 10 lacerations to the neck, chest, abdomen and thighs, and bruises on her shoulders, chest, back, arms, thighs and feet. He also noted that the doctors’ testimony shows that the injuries were sustained under Johnson’s care.
Weiler said that before this event, Sago’s mother started noticing marks on her daughter when Johnson began to care for her. Weiler then asked, “How could Johnson not see what happened in an apartment so small the adults slept in the living room?”
He went on to say that the doctors said the symptoms Sago sustained were immediate, which would rule out the mother’s role in Sago’s death.
Weiler also said that Johnson’s biological son ended up in the hospital when he was six months old with two broken arms and that Johnson lied repeatedly.
Weiler claims Johnson told police he only knew that he caused one injury, which was a laceration on the stomach, with his thumb. The doctors said this is in an uncommon injury in child abuse cases and was likely caused by either a clothes hanger or belt.
Weiler also said Johnson called 911 and told police that Sago hadn’t been breathing for 10 minutes and that police took two minutes to arrive.
“That means [for] eight minutes he did nothing, why would he do that? To hide it from the cops,” Weiler said.
Weiler also claims that Johnson said maybe the 5-year-old had attacked Sago or that he was outside when the incident happened but that the doctors said it had to be carried out by an adult.
Weiler said Johnson admitted Sago had a habit of sucking her thumb, and that her sister said that is why Johnson hit her. The State said that Sago’s sister’s testimony was the most credible.
Before coming to a decision, the jury, consisting of seven women and five men, deliberated for over three hours. The new evidence presented during this trial resulted in Judge Mark Goodwin asking the jury to consider Johnson’s propensity for domestic violence.
The State confirmed that Johnson will face 20-60 years in prison following this conviction. Sentencing for Johnson will take place on March 23.
