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We just got word from the Maricopa County Superior Court that the long-awaited trial of the mother of missing baby Gabriel Johnson finally is scheduled.
The trial of Elizabeth Johnson is set for May 9 and is expected to last three weeks.
Johnson’s been charged with kidnapping, child abuse, and custodial interference in the disappearance of the baby, who went missing last December.
Police still don’t know if the boy is even alive, and Johnson’s been no help in finding him.
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In September, Johnson’s attorneys withdrew their request for a competency hearing. Johnson was initially found incompetent to stand trial following a psychological evaluation back in June. In August, however, the state went back on its earlier finding and ruled that Johnson is competent.
Johnson first made headlines in January after failing to appear at a December custody hearing over her then-8-month-old son. Johnson disappeared with the baby and went to San Antonio, Texas, where Gabriel was last seen alive.
While on the run, Johnson sent text-messages to the baby’s father, Logan McQueary, saying she had killed the baby and put his body in a dumpster.
She later recanted her claims and said she gave the baby to a random couple she met at a park in San Antonio.
Initially, Tempe police were optimistic that the baby was still alive but have since changed their tune as tips in the case slowed.
Johnson’s been in the Maricopa County Jail system since her arrest. Initially, Sheriff Joe Arpaio claimed she was a model inmate.
Arpaio’s tune soon changed after Johnson assaulted two other prisoners, was thrown in the jail’s loony bin, and placed on Joe’s “loaf” program.
If you’re unfamiliar with Joe’s loaf, click here.
