Murdered toddler’s parents have history of abuse allegations
27 NEWSFIRST has learned both Amanda Johnson and Michael Troy have previously faced child abuse charges.
http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/67416282.html
Reporter: Cheryl Glassford
As a 23 month-old murder victim was laid to rest Thursday, 27 NEWSFIRST is learning more about his parents’ past.
Amanda Johnson and Michael Troy used to live in Muskegon, Michigan. The Assistant Chief Prosecutor for Muskegon County tells us years ago both of them faced child abuse charges for another child of theirs, which resulted in the two of them losing their parental rights.
NEWSFIRST asked Troy about the charges.
Michael Troy says he and Johnson had two other children before Stephen while they were living in Michigan, including a little boy named Tyler Johnson.
Their parental rights were terminated in 2005 after Tyler’s arm was broken.
“We just got into an argument and I don’t know went wrong,” Troy says about the day Tyler was injured, “I was holding him and I didn’t want him to go and she was trying to take him, and I was trying to keep him”
The Assistant Chief Prosecutor says both parents were charged as juveniles with child abuse, and Johnson pleaded no-contest.
“We were really young back then – we were basically babies ourselves,” said Troy, “back then I really didn’t understand what was going on, so I don’t really understand the charges.”
Troy says their second child born in Michigan was taken by child protective services after his birth.
“They took him right from the hospital,” Troy said.
Just a month before Johnson gave birth to their third child, little Stephen Troy – the boy Johnson’s now accused of killing – Troy says the couple left for Kentucky. According to Troy, he and Johnson were afraid Stephen would also be taken into custody of Michigan’s child protective services.
When confronted about the previous abuse charges, Troy still says Stephen was safe in their care, and says doesn’t know how the deadly injuries occurred.
“I don’t have no idea,” Troy said, “just the way I’ve seen (Johnson) with Stephen, I don’t think she did it.”
Stephen was found unresponsive at Johnson’s boyfriends home last Friday, where they had been living. Stephen later died at the hospital, authorities say from blunt force trauma to the abdomen.
Police have arrested Johnson for Stephen’s death. She’s pled not-guilty to murder and criminal abuse charges. She’s being held at the Laurel County Detention Center.
