true crime

The astrology influencer accused of killing her family.

On April 4, astrology influencer, Danielle Johnson, also known as Danielle Ayoka, posted a message on social media platform, X, to her more than 100,000 followers. 

She warned them of an impending apocalypse, ahead of the eagerly anticipated solar eclipse, which had swept North Americans into a frenzy. 

Johnson told her followers that the eclipse would be "the epitome of spiritual warfare", encouraging them to "pick a side". She told them to get their hearts in the right place ahead of a "new world order". 

The following day, she wrote, "THE APOCALYPSE IS HERE."

Days later, Johnson was dead. Also dead, was her 29-year-old boyfriend, and her eight-month-old baby. Her nine-year-old was left for dead, but fortunately survived.

Watch the trailer for True Crime Conversations. Post continues below.


Video via Mamamia.

What happened?

In the early hours of April 8, neighbours heard a loud argument from Johnson's apartment, which she shared with her boyfriend of three years, Jaelen Chaney. 

According to reports, that argument ended with Johnson stabbed her partner to death, fleeing with in her Porsche SUV, with her children inside.

ADVERTISEMENT

As she sped down the freeway, police allege Johnson suddenly pushed her children out of the car, directly into the path of oncoming traffic. Her eight month old baby was killed by oncoming traffic, while her nine-year-old daughter somehow survived the horrific events.

Johnson was also killed, after the car crashed into a tree. 

Witnesses claim the older child saw her mother stab her partner, before she was thrown from the car, holding her baby sibling. 

Passers by found the children on the freeway and called emergency services, who declared the baby dead, and transported the nine-year-old girl to hospital. She was later placed in the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

The influencer's motives remain unclear given her death, and police say there had been no previous reports of domestic violence. 

Who is Danielle Johnson?

Known as Daniel Ayoka online, the astrology influencer claimed to be a spiritual healer and certified Reiki Master Teacher, trained in more than ten alternative healing modalities. 

On her website, she refers to a near-death experience as a toddler, which led her to Shamanism. 

She once studied psychology, but later focused on training with a personal healer, claiming to create a unique method of healing. She also loved music, producing electronic music under her online name, Ayoka. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Offering a range of spiritual services, including rituals, intuitive guidance, remote healing and astrology, Johnson amassed thousands of followers across a range of social media platforms, including more than 100,000 on X.

According to Johnson herself, she had subscribers across the entire world, including America, Japan, China, South Africa, London and Spain. Johnson's posts were often controversial, pushing conspiracy theories and alternative political viewpoints, especially around the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Danielle Johnson's dark obsession with the eclipse.

"This eclipse is the epitome of spiritual warfare. Get your protection on and your heart in the right place," Johnson wrote to her X followers. "The world is very obviously changing right now and if you ever needed to pick a side, the time to do right in your life is now. Stay strong you got this."

The following day she wrote: "Wake up wake up the apocalypse is here. Everyone who has ears listen. Your time to choose what you believe is now. If you believe a new word is possible for the people RT (retweet) now.

"There is power in choice. There is power in choice! Repost to make the choice for the collective."

Despite her rants, detectives said they did not consider the eclipse to be a contributing factor in her killing spree. 

Feature Image: Twitter.

00:00 / ???