An Arizona woman accused of attempting to kill her husband by poisoning his coffee has been sentenced to three years probation.
Melody Felicano Johnson was initially charged with attempted first-degree murder. In a plea deal, that charge was dropped, and she pleaded guilty in April to two counts of the felony charge of adding poison or a harmful substance to food or drink.
Her husband, Roby Johnson, last year went to police investigators in Tucson with evidence he had collected after noticing a foul taste in his coffee.
He said he pretended to keep drinking the coffee she prepared for him while he pursued his suspicions. He first used pool-testing strips and found the coffee “showed high levels of chlorine.” He then set up a hidden camera that reportedly caught Melody Johnson pouring bleach into the water she used to brew his coffee.
At the time, the Johnsons were still living together with their child but were in the process of getting divorced. Roby Johnson was stationed at Davis Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson.
The husband told investigators he “believes she was trying to kill him to collect death benefits,” according to a criminal report obtained last year by CNN affiliate KVOA.
Melody Johnson could have faced a maximum of 2 years in prison for each count.
Her attorney requested the sentence be time served, saying Johnson had already been in custody for nearly a year due to her inability to post a $250,000 bond. Her sentence also included mental health treatment.
Judge Javier Chon-Lopez noted even the victim had told the court he did not want Melody Johnson to end up in prison.
Roby and Melody Johnson’s divorce is still pending, her attorney said.
