The Army’s case against Pfc. Dewayne Johnson, 28, a Schofield Barracks-based soldier suspected of murdering his pregnant teenage wife, is moving closer to trial by court-martial.

On Wednesday the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel referred five charges and 19 specifications against Dewayne Johnson. In a news release the Army said “the general nature of the charges are for the murder of Mischa Johnson, intentionally killing her unborn child, obstruction of justice, providing false official statements, possession of child pornography and the production and distribution of child pornography.”

Dewayne Johnson is being held in pretrial confinement and waived his right to an Article 32 preliminary hearing. Now that charges are referred, the case will be assigned to a military judge who will schedule dates for an arraignment, pretrial hearings and the trial itself.

Mischa Mabeline Kaalohilani Johnson, 19, was last seen at her home at Schofield Barracks on July 31. She has not been found but the Army says she is “presumed deceased.” After initially searching for her for more than two weeks, Army officials arrested her husband, Dewayne Johnson, on Aug. 19.

Johnson, who hails from Maryland, enlisted in 2022 and was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks as a cavalry scout in June 2023. Mischa Johnson was born and raised on Oahu and grew up in Ewa Beach. At the time of her disappearance, she was six months pregnant with a baby girl.

Shortly after Dewayne Johnson’s arrest, Mischa Johnson’s family spoke about the investigation during an appearance on an Instagram livestream by podcast Always Always Support Local on Aug. 22 and asked the public to help Army investigators. The family said Army investigators told them they were investigating Dewayne Johnson engaging in extramarital sexual relationships with several local teenage minors, as well as producing and distributing pornography depicting minors.

During the podcast appearance Mischa Johnson’s mother, Frances Tapiz-Andrian, broke into tears, telling those who tuned in, “I can’t even bury my daughter. … Please don’t fail Mi­scha. I’m asking, I’m pleading. Please, please come out. I hurt every day.”

Though the case is moving toward trial the Army said the “case remains an ongoing investigation” and urged anyone with information regarding the case and Mischa Johnson’s whereabouts to contact the Army Criminal Investigation Division Pacific Field Office at 808-208-0559, or via cid.army.mil/tip

For information about court-martial proceedings, the Army facilitates public access to its docketing information online through the Army’s eDocket system at: https://www.jagcnet.army.mil/Apps/eDocket/eDocket Public.nsf Opens in a new tab.