A high-flying Texas judge overseeing a number of significant criminal trials has mysteriously been missing from the courtroom for nearly a month amid concerns of manic behavior and a police interaction, according to a report.
Judge Kelli Johnson, one of Harris County’s longest-serving current jurists, hasn’t been seen at the 178th District Courthouse in Houston since May 1 — with no explanation on where she has gone or when she’s set to return, ABC13 reported.
A court spokesperson has so far only confirmed “Johnson is out for personal matters” after initially refusing to address the judge’s unexplained absence.
Judge Kelli Johnson, one of Harris County’s longest-serving current jurists, hasn’t been seen at the 178th District Courthouse in Houston since May 1. Facebook/Kelli Johnson
Johnson recently oversaw the trial of a man convicted of beating his girlfriend’s 8-year-old son to death in 2020, which she described as one of the “most horrific set of facts” she’s witnessed. ABCBut an unnamed person who works at the courthouse has since alluded to what the outlet described as “manic behavior” in the lead-up to Johnson apparently vanishing from the bench.
“She’s a danger to herself and to the community,” the staffer alleged.
Johnson was recently in contact with cops following an incident near her home, according to a May 4 police report that described a “disturbance/CIT” — a police acronym for crisis intervention.
The exact circumstances surrounding that incident weren’t immediately known.
Johnson is the first openly gay female judge to be elected in Harris County. Facebook / Kelli Johnson
Judge Johnson has two sons, a 12-year-old and 10-month-old, with her wife. Facebook / Hilary Bartlett
Johnson was recently in contact with cops following an incident near her home, according to a May 4 police report. Facebook / Kelli Johnson, Judge of the 178th Criminal District CourtJohnson, who is the first openly gay female judge to be elected in Harris County, is married with two sons.
Her courtroom absence also comes just weeks after she presided over the trial of a man convicted of beating his girlfriend’s 8-year-old son to death in 2020.
Johnson took just 20 minutes to find Brian Coulter guilty of capital murder in Kendrick Lee’s fatal beating, telling the killer, “This is probably one of the most horrific set of facts that I have ever had to witness, to listen to and to imagine.”
The exact circumstances surrounding that her disappearance wasn’t immediately known. Facebook / Kelli Johnson, Judge of the 178th Criminal District CourtAnother high-profile case the judge has overseen of late includes the murder trial of a man, AJ Armstrong, convicted of shooting dead his parents when he was a teen in 2016. After two mistrials, Armstrong was convicted last August.
In the wake of Johnson’s absence, some of her cases and hearings have been handled by a visiting judge. A retired judge, Jim Wallace, stepped up last week to preside over a trial.
The administrative judge for the area, Judge Susan Brown, has refused to say whether there’s a timeline for Johnson’s return to the bench.
Johnson was elected to the court in 2016 after serving as assistant district attorney for 17 years, according to her bio.
