Beyond All Repair Ch. 5: The Motive

Amory talks to Shane about the 2010 report, along with the detective who wrote it and Rick Buckner, the lead detective on Sophia’s case 20 years ago. She explores what can legally happen from here, both with regards to Marlyne Johnson’s homicide case and with Sophia herself. Amory finally confronts Sophia about the 2010 report, and comes to a conclusion about the case. *** Consider becoming a "BEYOND" member today: This show is made at WBUR, a public radio station, which means we cannot make shows like this without public support. Join our "BEYOND" membership program and receive extra episodes and a private feed of the show for ad-free listening: wbur.org/beyond *** Come to our live event, Thursday, June 20th!  Go behind the scenes with Amory and editor Zac Stuart-Pontier at WBUR CitySpace in Boston. Tickets and more info HERE.

After Sean’s conversation with Amory, he and his younger brother, Shane, talk to each other for the first time in two decades. Shane is open to hearing his brother out, until Sean denies a painful memory from their childhood. Their father, who has always defended Sean, starts sending aggressive voice messages to Sophia and Shane. Meanwhile, Amory has even more questions for Sophia just as Shane is coming to his own conclusion that she did not commit the murder. But shortly thereafter, Amory receives a report of an interview Sophia did with detectives in 2010 that tells yet another story of the day of Marlyne’s murder. Amory is left shaken and wondering if she actually has been talking to a murderer all this time. *** Consider becoming a "BEYOND" member today: This show is made at WBUR, a public radio station, which means we cannot make shows like this without public support. Join our "BEYOND" membership program and receive early access to some of the final episodes in the series, extra episodes, and a private feed of the show for ad-free listening: wbur.org/beyond

After disappearing before he was supposed to testify in Sophia's second trial, Sean reappears in Guyana under the name Anthony Snow. He has since launched various ventures, including a short-lived campaign for president of Guyana in 2011, a land development business that’s been the source of allegations of fraud, and a robust social media presence. Sophia and Sean hadn’t seen each other or spoken in 17 years when he video-called her in early 2023 upon hearing that she’s been talking to a reporter. Months after this call, Amory talks to Sean herself. He offers up a new detail about the day of Marlyne Johnson’s murder. If you have questions about the case, the people at the center of this story, or anything else about this series, we want to hear them. Email [email protected] with a voice message or written message. *** Consider becoming a "BEYOND" member today: This show is made at WBUR, a public radio station, which means we cannot make shows like this without public support. Join our "BEYOND" membership program and receive early access to some of the final episodes in the series, extra episodes, and a private feed of the show for ad-free listening: wbur.org/beyond

Amory meets Sophia in person for the first time with a sense of uneasiness. While in jail awaiting her second trial in 2005, Sophia made a friend who convinced her to testify in her own defense. Today, this friend, Morgen, is Sophia’s life partner. After getting ahold of the footage of Sophia’s second trial, Morgen and Amory discover that Sophia told a different story about the day of the murder on the stand — one that puts her at the scene. If you have questions about the case, the people at the center of this story, or anything else about this series, we want to hear them. Email [email protected] with a voice message or written message. *** Consider becoming a "BEYOND" member today: This show is made at WBUR, a public radio station, which means we cannot make shows like this without public support. Join our "BEYOND" membership program and receive early access to some of the final episodes in the series, extra episodes, and a private feed of the show for ad-free listening: wbur.org/beyond

The jury has reached a verdict: Sophia is found guilty of first-degree murder. At sentencing, Sophia hears victim impact statements, including one delivered by the woman raising her son. She is sentenced to 43 years in prison, and just as she’s settling into that fate, she gets a call from her lawyer saying that she’s won the right to a new trial. If you have questions about the case, the people at the center of this story, or anything else about this series, we want to hear them. Email [email protected] with a voice memo or written message. *** Consider becoming a "BEYOND" member today: This show is made at WBUR, a public radio station, which means we cannot make shows like this without public support. Join our "BEYOND" membership program and receive early access to some of the final episodes in the series, extra episodes, and a private feed of the show for ad-free listening: wbur.org/beyond

The prosecution in Sophia’s trial claims greed was her motive for killing Marlyne. Shortly after Sophia and Brad Johnson started dating, Sophia began stealing money from her employer. Sophia explains how the theft started and quickly spiraled out of control. By the time of the murder, Sophia was tens of thousands of dollars in debt, with a baby on the way. Was she desperate enough to commit murder? If you have questions about the case, the people at the center of this story, or anything else about this series, we want to hear them. Email [email protected] with a voice message or written message. *** Consider becoming a "BEYOND" member today: This show is made at WBUR, a public radio station, which means we cannot make shows like this without public support. Join our membership program, "BEYOND" here: wbur.org/beyond

Amory meets Lyn Page and Linda Dillard, friends of Marlyne Johnson and her husband Richard, who share more about the Johnson family. Richard struggled with alcohol abuse and gambled, and Marlyne had started saving money in case she needed to leave him.  Richard eventually agrees to talk to Amory and shares memories of his wife and the day she was killed. If you have questions about the case, the real people at the center of this story, or anything else about this series, we want to hear them. Email [email protected] with a voice message or written message. Listener note: This episode has descriptions of violence and strong language.  *** Consider becoming a "BEYOND" member today: This show is made at WBUR, a public radio station, which means we cannot make shows like this without public support. Join our "BEYOND" membership program and receive access to extra episodes, a private feed of the show for ad-free listening and early access to some of the final episodes in the series: wbur.org/beyond

Sean Correia's credibility is called into question as Sophia Johnson and Shane Correia tell Amory about his role in their upbringing. Amory learns how these three siblings ended up in Washington state after being raised in New York, and how Sophia became estranged from Shane and their mother, with whom she’d been incredibly close. Sophia finds a new family in the Johnsons — Brad, her husband, and Marlyne and Richard Johnson, Brad’s parents. At the time of the murder, Sophia is newly wedded to Brad and six months pregnant. Marlyne is supposed to go over to Sophia’s house for lunch that day. She doesn’t show, leading Sophia and Brad to check on her, and, ultimately, to her lifeless, nearly unrecognizable body. Sophia denies murdering Marlyne, but suspects Sean’s involvement. If you have questions about the case, the real people at the center of this story, or anything else about this series, we want to hear them. Email [email protected] with a voice message or written message. Listener note: This episode has descriptions of violence, strong language, and allegations of sexual assault.  *** Consider becoming a "BEYOND" member today: This show is made at WBUR, a public radio station, which means we cannot make shows like this without public support. Join our membership program, "BEYOND" here: wbur.org/beyond

Amory learns more about Marlyne Johnson, Sophia Johnson’s late mother-in-law, and her murder is explored through footage of Sophia’s 2003 trial. Clark County Detective Rick Buckner and his team narrowed the field of suspects to siblings Sophia and Sean Correia (Shane Correia's older brother and sister). Sean testified during Sophia’s 2003 murder trial that he saw his sister standing over Marlyne’s body, holding fireplace tongs. If you have questions about the case, the real people at the center of this story, or anything else about this series, we want to hear them. Email [email protected] with a voice message or written message. Listener note: This show has descriptions of violence and strong language. *** Consider becoming a "BEYOND" member today: This show is made at WBUR, a public radio station, which means we cannot make shows like this without public support. Join our membership program, "BEYOND" here: wbur.org/beyond

Reporter Amory Sivertson has reopened a box that some members of the Correia family were hoping would stay shut forever. Amory first met the youngest Correia, Shane, in 2017 while interviewing him about his experience with homelessness. But there is another dark chapter of Shane's life: his older sister being accused of murdering her mother-in-law in 2002, when he was 13 years old. Now Shane wants to know, did his sister commit this brutal the crime? If you have questions about the case, the real people at the center of this story, or anything else about this series, we want to hear them. Email [email protected] with a voice message or written message. Listener note: This show has descriptions of violence and strong language. *** Consider becoming a "BEYOND" member today: This show is made at WBUR, a public radio station, which means we cannot make shows like this without public support. Join our membership program, "BEYOND" here: wbur.org/beyond