A nine-time convicted felon who savagely beat and stomped a 61-year-old woman to death during a robbery attempt aboard a Red Line train in the Loop has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after a judge ruled him guilty but mentally ill of the murder on January 4, 2024.
Mijawon Johnson, 39, was granted parole in August 2023 after serving half of a six-year sentence for mugging a covert narcotics officer on the West Side on St. Patrick’s Day 2021. Less than five months later, he noticed another victim, Vivian Leah Morgan, as they were riding the train near State-Lake around 1:33 a.m.
According to surveillance video, Johnson attempted to grab Morgan’s backpack before starting a vicious attack that included pressing her head against a bench and repeatedly striking her in the head and stomach. Officials claimed he “stomped” on her body before abandoning her on the train. Morgan was found unresponsive by CTA staff as the train arrived at Roosevelt Station. Officials say she died after being on a ventilator for about two weeks.
According to a CPD report, authorities identified Johnson as the attacker after reviewing CTA video and sent a bulletin to local police districts. The day following the attack, cops on patrol spotted Johnson on a CTA bus in the 700 block of West Chicago Avenue. They stopped the bus and brought him into jail.
Morgan’s obituary stated that she was an Army veteran who attended East St. Louis Community College to study nursing.
“Vivian will be remembered for her gift for making others laugh with her humor, her passion for roller skating and love for animals,” the message read.
Court documents say Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of murder, which Judge Adrienne Davis accepted, ruling him guilty but mentally ill. He must serve the entire 25-year sentence Davis imposed, with an expected parole date on Christmas Eve 2048.
When he attacked Morgan, he was on parole after attempting to rob an undercover cop. Johnson placed his hand to his side, as if holding a pistol, and demanded that the undercover cop hand over cash and his phone. According to the CPD case report, the officer handed his phone and cash, which had pre-recorded serial numbers intended for drug purchases. When the hidden officer gave them a secret signal indicating that he was being robbed, other cops stepped in and captured Johnson.
At the time of the heist, Johnson was on parole for aggravated violence of a police officer at the Near North District station, 1160 North Larrabee Street. He was sentenced to prison six more times between 2007 and 2015, all for narcotics violations, according to IDOC records.
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