A jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Keith Johansen guilty of shooting his wife on April 7, 1018. Johansen, 39, will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Johansen initially claimed his wife had accidentally shot herself in their home located in Palm Coast, Florida. As the investigation unfolded, Johansen would go on to change his story several times over. At one point, he even accused their 6-year-old son of accidentally firing the gun. At trial, Johansen admitted to shooting his wife, but claimed he did so in self-defense.
While it’s unusual to see murder defendants on the stand, it was particularly unusual in this case, as Johansen didn’t show emotion or grief about his wife’s murder throughout his testimony. He came off unsympathetic and made no eye contact with the jury.
In a recent interview on Court TV, Denver defense attorney Jeffrey Wolf discussed the significant gamble Johansen took by taking the stand.
“It’s ultimately up to the defendant. The attorney can only give advice,” explained Wolf. “But oftentimes there are disagreements… And when there is, what the defendant says goes…”
Watch the video above for more commentary from Jeff Wolf and for details about this case.
