WASHINGTON — The D.C. man accused of sexually assaulting and strangling a local actress and yoga teacher last Christmas pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree murder in the grisly slaying.
Police found the body of 46-year-old Tricia McCauley inside her Toyota Scion in a Northwest D.C. CVS parking lot on Dec. 26 — the day after McCauley had failed to show up for a Christmas Day dinner with friends.
Police said they located Adrian Duane Johnson, 29, nearby, and he had McCauley’s keys on him at the time.
Johnson, who was charged with felony first-degree murder in McCauley’s death, has been held without bond since December. Police said Johnson drove McCauley’s car around the D.C. area for at least a day with her body inside, and made several purchases using her credit cards.
Johnson told police he had consensual sex with McCauley after which she became despondent and hung herself in her car. He told police before she died, she told him he could have her belongings, including her credit cards and car.
At a January court appearance, Johnson’s lawyer, Mani Golzari, said Johnson has a long history of mental illness and that his initial statements to police were “the ramblings of a mentally ill man.”
WTOP’s Nick Iannelli contributed to this report.
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