Johnson has been arrested for nearly a half dozen assaults and has a history of allegedly threatening the lives of residents and staff at facilities where he's been placed in the DHS system, the source said.
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Johnson is accused of killing 20-year-old Jimmy Mao in late December while the two lived in a foster home in the 5800 block of Angora Terrace.
He allegedly choked and stabbed Mao in his bedroom, then stuffed his body in a duffel bag and tossed it down a hill around the corner.
Sources say Johnson was immediately a suspect in Mao's death, yet DHS placed Johnson in the foster care of 64-year-old Renee Gilyard.
Police say three days later, Gilyard was dead and Johnson was on the run. Gilyard was also stabbed to death and investigators believe the motive was robbery.
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On a conference call with reporters on Friday, DHS refused to answer why Johnson was placed in Gilyard's care, citing privacy laws.
DHS said it outsources foster placement to roughly 30 third-party agencies. The department says they are notified of the criminal history of juveniles and that information is supposed to be relayed to potential foster parents.
A law enforcement source who reviewed Johnson's DHS file says the juvenile should've been in a state secure facility.