Tonya Thomas

Background

Tonya Thomas was a Florida mother who killed her four children and then killed herself in Port St. John, Florida. Authorities said the family had a history of domestic violence. Joe Johnson was the children’s father; he was not living at the home and lived separately in Brevard County, Florida, with a report saying he lived in Titusville, Florida.

The offence

On Tuesday, May 15, 2012, Thomas shot her four children 18 times before killing herself. The children were Joel Johnson (12), Jazlyn Johnson (13), Jaxs Johnson (15), and Pebbles Johnson (17). Authorities said the children fled to a neighbor’s house, but returned when Thomas came outside and called for them to return. Authorities said Thomas then fired fatal rounds, smoked a cigarette, and later killed herself.

A Brevard County medical examiner reported that 33-year-old Tonya Thomas used a Taurus .38-caliber revolver to shoot and kill her children. The report found 19 gunshot wounds on the victims, and it found a self-inflicted wound on Thomas’ body. One child was shot seven times, while the youngest child was shot five times from more than two feet away. The revolver was fired against the chest of at least two children.

Authorities told the Associated Press they had no motive for the killings and were not sure why the children followed Thomas’ orders to return to their house.

Investigation

A Brevard County Sheriff spokesman identified Thomas as the mother involved in the killings and described Thomas sending a text message around 3 a.m. to a male coworker, saying: "Tell my mom what happened, I want to be cremated with my children." The investigator/official statements also included a description that this text was considered an indication of premeditation, and that the investigation may not get the “why” unless a note was left or someone else was told.

Dispatch records and prior contacts showed authorities responded to Thomas’ house on three successive days in April. In April, Jaxs threw a bicycle through a window in the house and threatened Thomas. The next day, when Thomas woke him up for school, he kicked and punched her repeatedly; Thomas pushed back and they began to scuffle. Police were called later that day, and there were neighbor complaints of hearing shouts and yells emanating from the house.

An investigator of the Department of Children and Families spoke to Thomas and the children weeks before the family massacre and said there were no signs that the children were in distress. Each child said they felt safe in their central Florida home, and investigators spoke with neighbors and school officials and watched the children at home and said they "appear bonded to their parents." A supervisor signed off on the case on May 13.

Hundreds of documents released by state officials detailed the family’s history and revealed that Thomas was a woman trapped in a cycle of domestic violence and was also abused or neglected as a child. The documents said Thomas was not verbally or mentally abusive to the children. The documents also stated that Thomas did not have a supportive relationship with Joe Johnson necessary to protect and nurture the children, including an investigator writing that Thomas "does not have a relationship with a partner that is supportive of her ability to protect and nurture her children," in documents written last month.

In 2000, the children watched as their father Joe Johnson yelled at Thomas for not making dinner, then punched and kicked her, knocking her into a wall. The children were removed from their parent’s home for a month but were returned despite DCF objections. Multiple listings for Joe Johnson dialed by an Associated Press reporter on Friday were disconnected or incorrect numbers.

Florida Today and local reports also included statements from a neighbor describing that the family was known for being disruptive, with police often being called, and comments describing children running around late at night and terrorizing dogs and setting off firecrackers. Other reporting described neighbors as saying that boys in the family had threatened to set a home on fire and shot BB guns at a home across the street.

Authorities said they had not yet determined the owner of the gun, and they said they had no doubt that Thomas was the killer.

Arrest

No arrest was recorded as a result of the May 15, 2012 killings in the provided material.

There was a record that Jaxs was arrested on a domestic violence charge which also involved his mother.

Trial

No trial information was included in the provided material.

Sentencing

No sentencing information was included in the provided material.

Appeals

No appeal information was included in the provided material.

Outcome

Three of the children were found shot dead inside the house. The fourth child, Pebbles Johnson, was found fatally shot in the front yard of a neighbor’s house, and she was pronounced dead in an ambulance.

When deputies went to Thomas’ house, they found her dead of a self-inflicted wound. A Taurus .38-caliber revolver was used. Authorities said Thomas had been seen at the front door holding a gun and then went back inside when she saw officers in the front yard.

A neighbor reported confusion during a 911 call released on Wednesday, with the caller warning the children not to enter their home. Verbatim statements included: "Get back, you're not coming in our house," and the 911 caller’s husband said: "I don't know who has the gun, so I'm not walking out there," and: "I'm armed but not going out there and putting myself in danger." The same reporting described the husband grabbed his gun and ran outside, saw one child bleeding at the front door, and that the child went back when Thomas called for her children to come home.

Aftermath

Brevard Public Schools said grief counselors had been sent to the victims’ schools. A friend of the children named Heather said there was "a lot of crying when the news was announced on the school speakers" and wrote: "I have never seen Space Coast so quiet before," expressing shock when the kids’ yearbook photos were posted online. Another wrote: "Joel was a good kid he loved playing football and he was really funny and a lot of people from Port St. John will miss him dearly."

The First Baptist Church of Port St. John said it would host a community prayer vigil Wednesday at 7pm.

Port St. John was described as about 15 miles west of Cape Canaveral. The area was known as the 'Space Coast' because it is the home of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, home of numerous famed shuttle launches. Bright Avenue was closed to traffic near Curtis Boulevard as deputies continued to investigate the scene.

Timeline

• May 13, 2012 — A supervisor signed off on the Department of Children and Families case.
• May 15, 2012 — Thomas shot and killed her four children and then killed herself in Port St. John, Florida.
• April 2000 — The children watched Joe Johnson punch and kick Thomas, knocking her into a wall, after she was yelled at for not making dinner; the children were later removed from their parents’ home for a month and then returned despite DCF objections.
• 2002 — Thomas was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge for striking Joe Johnson; the charge was later dropped.
• Earlier in the 2000s (two years before May 15, 2012) — Thomas filed a domestic violence complaint against Joe Johnson, which was dismissed after a hearing.

Other details

Lt. Tod Goodyear of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office made statements including: "This is a little bit different because they were older kids," "To kill all four, I can't remember the last time a mom killed this many of her children." Goodyear also stated: "A bad part of the investigation is that we may not get the why. Unless she left a note somewhere or told somebody, she may have taken it to the grave." Goodyear described neighbor reports and Thomas’ actions including: "She was very calm, called them in," and: "She didn't seem to be stressed or mad, just stepped out. She walked out and said 'come home.'" Another quote from Goodyear was: "We set up a perimeter, found the oldest girl lying in the yard and took her out to ambulance," and: "I cannot comprehend as a parent doing this to their children ... calling them back in and shooting them," and: "It's sad, even if they were troublemakers. It's very distressing," and: "As a parent, I could never fathom doing this to my kids."

DailyMail.co.uk reporting included statements attributed to sheriff’s spokesman Tom Goodyear: 'She was very calm,' and included a description of Deputies finding Pebbles’ critically injured condition and Thomas seen at the front door holding a gun.

DCF spokeswoman Carrie Hoeppner said: "This is a horrendous tragedy, While these files offer a glimpse inside the families' home, they do not appear to contain the answer as to `why' this happened that we all seek at this time," and an Orlando Sentinel report said Jaxs was arrested on a domestic violence charge that also involved his mother.

Reporting described a friend of Thomas sending/receiving a text message at around 3 a.m. saying she wished to be cremated along with her children; it also described that the friend did not see the message until hours after the killings.

A former Orange County Sheriff’s Department officer, James Copenhaver, said: 'This may also give some insight as to why she did this,' and: 'This may also give some insight as to why she did this,' and said: "More would be known, he said, after the 911 tapes were released, including how many emergency calls were made and potentially how many shots were fired." He also said: "He said that toxicology tests would be run on her to determine whether or not she was taking drugs and added that domestic violence would likely have been involved, based on past experience of similar cases." A person identifying themselves only as 'G' wrote that Thomas was a 'private, independent character,' adding there were 'so many components in her life'.