- Melissa Johnson-Fausett was given consecutive sentences for killing her husband Corry Fausett.
- Judge Denise Porter sentenced her to a minimum of eight years in prison, and up to life, after hearing from Fausett's son and niece.
- Prosecutors claimed there was no evidence of self-defense, but they reduced the murder charge so family would not need to go to trial.
PROVO — A 58-year-old Provo woman will spend a minimum of eight years behind bars, and possibly the rest of her life, after admitting to fatally shooting her husband, Corry Fausett.
Cameron Johnson, Fausett's only son, said as an only child, "the isolation has been profound" without someone to share his burden with, and he has not yet had the opportunity to grieve. He also said he suffered from anxiety and trauma from seeing the blood and bullet holes in his home.
"I have essentially lost both of my parents, and I stand here today completely alone and without any immediate family support," he said.
Johnson said he has taken on many responsibilities since his father's death, "entirely on my own," including the financial efforts to keep the family home.
"I have experienced the lasting loss of my family, my sense of security, my home as a safe haven and the foundation of life I once knew and cherished. Despite all of this, I have found strength within myself to carry on," he said.
Prison sentence
Melissa Johnson-Fausett was sentenced on Tuesday to two to 20 years in prison for murder, a second-degree felony enhanced due to the use of a dangerous weapon; five years to life for felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony; and one to 15 years for obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony.
Fourth District Judge Denise Porter ordered the sentences to run consecutively, as Johnson-Fausett agreed to in her plea statement, and recommended that Adult Probation and Parole give her credit for the more than two years she has already spent in jail. She will spend a minimum of eight years behind bars.
Deputy Utah County attorney Julia Thomas said the "interests of justice" that led prosecutors to allow the murder charge to be reduced from a first-degree felony to a second-degree felony in the plea were "entirely" based on consideration of the family members involved. She said they had confidence in the outcome of a trial but left the decision of whether to take the case to trial up to the family members, and they chose to offer the plea deal.
"They are the ones who suffered the impact ... there's no way to gauge what that impact is, especially on somebody like Cameron Johnson, who loves his mother and hates what she did and loved his father and misses him terribly," she said.
Thomas said they did not feel anything about the case mitigated what Johnson-Fausset did, and believes a jury would have found it was not self-defense. She said the couple was fighting that day, but there is no evidence of any physical violence from Fausett, despite his wife's initial claims.
'Cold-blooded'
Johnson-Fausett called 911 to report she had shot her husband with a gun "until it jammed," charges said. They said she denied using a second gun investigators found hidden in a purse under clothing, but DNA found blood on the hidden gun belonged to her husband.
Thomas said evidence shows Fausett was shot at close range and could have survived the first shot, but after the gun jammed, she got another gun and shot her husband while he was not on the ground three times, with evidence he may have been trying to crawl away.
"This was a cold-blooded series of acts by the defendant and decisions that she made," Thomas said. "This was not self-defense, this was not mental illness, this was murder. And Melissa Johnson-Fausett's sentence must reflect that reality."
Sabrina Smith, Corry Fausset's niece, said she spoke on behalf of her whole family when saying Fausset was "patient, loyal and always showed up for his family."
"What happened didn't just take his life; it changed all of ours," she said. "His absence has left us not only emotionally shattered but also financially burdened; it's a weight we feel every single day."
'Horrific nightmare'
Johnson-Fausett said she lost her husband of 33 years and "best friend," and hurt many others, including their son, who is the "most devastated."
"Ever since I pulled the trigger, I've been in a horrific nightmare that I can't wake up from. I'm accountable and understand my actions cost Corry his life," she said.
She said she wished things were different.
"I hope that all of those hurt can find in their hearts to forgive me someday. I pray for this each day," she said.
Her attorney, Jordin Annett, said they would have evidence to present at trial about what happened before the killing to support either full or partial self-defense, but her client is taking accountability, so the court did not see that evidence.
