He Targeted LGBTQ Members For His Robbery, Murder Spree. Now, He Heads To Prison.

A man targeted members of the LGBTQ community for his spree that included robbery and murder. Now, he will spend decades behind bars.

Recently, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office announced that Diabolique Paris Johnson, 35, was sentenced on homicide, robbery and weapon charges.

He was sentenced to 25 to 45 years for second-degree murder. He was also given a two-year sentence that will come after that sentence for felony firearm. He was also sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison on a separate armed robbery case. The robbery punishment will run at the same time as the murder charge.

“I am proud to partner with Prosecutor Worthy and Fair Michigan to deliver justice for vulnerable populations that find themselves the target of bias-motivated crimes,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “Hate crimes threaten entire communities and must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

On Sept. 1, 2020, Johnson robbed a 26-year-old man in Detroit, prosecutors said. The robbery happened at a hotel in Dearborn, Michigan. The victim had his personal property taken in the incident.

Then, days later, Johnson murdered a 39-year-old man during an armed robbery in Detroit, prosecutors said.

Officials said both victims were targeted on online dating apps because they were members of the LGBTQ community.

Police worked the case until December 2020, when Johnson was arrested in Indianapolis, Indiana.

“It is important to continue to acknowledge that crimes against the LBGTQ community are ignored and are not thoroughly investigated. This is no longer the case in Wayne County thanks to our partnership formed in 2016 with Fair Michigan Justice Project (FMJP). Police agencies in Detroit, Dearborn and Indianapolis, IN, worked together to investigate this case and to bring Defendant Johnson to justice. This is a significant conviction for the project,” said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.