Mother charged for infants’ fire deaths skips court

WESTERN BUREAU:

The St James Parish Court was left puzzled on Tuesday when Christiann Johnson, the woman charged with manslaughter following the deaths of her two infants in a May 19, 2021, house fire, failed to appear as scheduled.

Johnson, who is represented by attorney-at-law Martyn Thomas, had previously appeared in court on April 27 in relation to the death of her two sons, three-year-old Aden Flowers and one-year-old Christopher Flowers.

But when the matter was called up before Parish Judge Kaysha Grant on Tuesday, Johnson was a no-show despite her name being called by the court officer several times.

“Your client is not yet here? Have you spoken to your client?” the judge asked Thomas.

“I am surprised that she is not here. I have not seen her since she was offered bail, and I was looking at the file for her number and I do not have that number, but I have her father’s number and I am not getting through ... ,” Thomas replied.

But while the matter was ultimately put off to June 9 at Thomas’ request, Grant did not issue a bench warrant for Johnson’s detention, as the accused woman’s bail bond was not on the file.

The court was informed that Johnson had been on station bail.

If the bail bond is added to the case file by the next hearing date, the court will then be empowered to issue a bench warrant for her arrest if she is absent.