Cape Coral police have identified the suspect accused of fatally stabbing his mother inside her home Tuesday afternoon as 28-year-old Devin Bryant Johnson.
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Authorities say officers were called to a residence at 4338 Jacaranda Parkway W around 1:25 p.m., where they found 69-year-old Rosemary Johnson dead from multiple stab wounds to the head and neck. Investigators said her daughter made the discovery after seeing bloody footprints and finding her mother’s body under a blanket.
After the attack, police issued a Be On The Lookout alert for Johnson, who fled in a 2019 gray Toyota Corolla. Deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office spotted the car near Southwest Florida International Airport, prompting a chase that continued into Collier County.
Officers deployed stop sticks along U.S. 41 in North Naples, forcing Johnson to abandon the vehicle near Riverchase Plaza. According to investigators, he resisted arrest, tried to grab a deputy’s firearm, and attempted to choke a police K9 before being subdued. Blood was later found on the interior and exterior of his vehicle.
Johnson was treated at NCH North Naples Hospital for injuries from the K9 before being booked into the Naples Jail Center. He faces charges from multiple agencies, including:
Second-degree murder (Cape Coral Police)
Fleeing and eluding law enforcement (Collier County Sheriff’s Office)
Battery on law enforcement (CCSO)
Attempting to take an officer’s firearm (CCSO)
Animal cruelty on a police dog (CCSO)
Family members told detectives Johnson had a history of domestic violence and substance abuse and had twice been arrested for assaults on his mother. Investigators also learned he purchased a plane ticket to Costa Rica earlier the same day as the killing.
The investigation into the homicide and related incidents remains active, police said.