The man charged in the murder of D.C. yoga instructor Tricia McCauley was arrested six times in D.C. in 2016 and also faced charges in neighboring counties, court records show.
Adrian Duane Johnson, 29, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, also known as Duane Adrian Johnson, was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in McCauley's death.
McCauley was found dead inside her car early Tuesday after a man spotted the car and called 911. She was 46.
In 2016, Johnson was charged once with assault on a police officer, once with assault, five times with theft and once with robbery. He most recently was charged on Dec. 17 for alleged thefts at Meridian PCS and CVS stores.
At a hearing for those charges, he was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and wear a GPS ankle bracelet, but it was not clear if he was wearing the device when he was arrested in connection to McCauley’s death.
Court documents show Johnson faces these charges for alleged incidents in 2016:
- May 15: Second-degree theft for incident at Black Lion Market on 14th Street NW
- June 10: Second-degree theft, assault on a police officer for incident at Modell’s Sporting Goods on 14th Street NW
- Sept. 1: Robbery, assault with intent for incident on L Street NW involving stealing from two men
- Dec. 12: Second-degree theft for incident at DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse on 14th Street NW
- Dec. 17: Second-degree theft for incident at CVS store on 14th Street NW
- Dec. 17: Second-degree theft for incident at Meridian PCS store on 14th Street NW
Court records show Johnson also is wanted in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties for failure to show up to answer theft charges.
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He is being held without bond on the murder charge.
A vigil Tuesday night was originally scheduled as a way to share hope that McCauley, who went missing on Christmas Day, would be found. But it turned into a tribute to her spirit. Friends described her as “light-filled” and “uniquely loving.”
Johnson's stepfather, Russell Dixon, told The Washington Post that Johnson had been living on the streets and suffered from mental problems. Dixon suggested the courts had been too lenient on his stepson.
“The court system let him go. That’s not the help he needs,” he told the Post. “He should have been held.”
Dixon told the paper he never saw signs of violence in the murder suspect.
No one answered a knock at the family's door Wednesday morning.
