Watch CBS News

Woman Cleared In Husband's Death Loses Custody Of Kids

Laura Johnson, the Farmington Hills woman once accused of murdering her husband,  has been banned from seeing her children by an Oakland County Family Court judge.

According to a report in the Detroit Free Press, the 8 and 10-year-old boys have been living with their father and stepmother since Johnson was charged with killing her second husband, attorney Lloyd Johnson.

Prosecutors said that Johnson was a threat to her kids, citing a report that said shortly after Lloyd Johnson's death, she took pictures of his nude body and showed them to the children. 

"I believe it would very psychologically dangerous for there to be any contact with the children," said attorney Abbie Shuman, who had been appointed to represent the children's interests. "I think the children have great fear. There should be no contact," she told the judge.

Johnson will be not allowed visitation, but WWJ and Fox 2 legal analyst Charlie Langton says it's a temporary measure, for now.

"The judge probably made the right decision. A termination of parental rights hearing is an extremely important hearing and for the prosecutors to bring it this far , the prosecutors must have some evidence that Laura Johnson's behaviour was threatening or really, just bizarre," Langton said.

A hearing has been set for February 22 to determine if Johnson should permanently lose her parental rights.

Johnson was accused of killing her husband and practicing medicine without a license after police found surgical instruments, bloody bedding and human tissue in their home. 

All charges were dropped after a medical examiner ruled the man's death "accidental," caused by an open wound on his lower back from an old boating injury, complicated by obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis and other ailments.

(Copyright 2010 WWJ Radio.  All Rights Reserved.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.