Salinas man sentenced to life in prison for stabbing ex-girlfriend

SALINA, Calif. (KION) Donovan Johnson was sentenced to serve 18 years to life at the California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, according to Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni's announcement. Johnson was convicted back in March for torturing his ex-girlfriend, the mother of his four children.

According to the report, Johnson had an argument with his ex, trying to convince her to get back together with him in November 2018. The report said she had been ignoring his texts after "numerous" messages.

"Feeling rejected," Johnson showed up at her house where her kids and grandmother were living and demanded she get in his car. When she refused, Johnson started to drag her to the door. When she resisted, Johnson took out a box cutter and started stabbing her over and over in the face, legs, back, hands and arms. All the while, their 9-year-old son was watching this happen, crying for Johnson to stop.

Johnson severed the nerves and muscles in the victim's leg. She couldn't walk for almost a month and had to get "extensive rehabilitation" to regain movement in her leg.

Following a jury trial, Johnson was convicted of torture, mayhem, attempted false imprisonment, child abuse, corporal injury to fellow parent, and assault with a deadly weapon, along with enhancements involving great bodily injury and the use of a weapon.