US astrology influencer who called solar eclipse ‘the epitome spiritual warfare’ killed partner, baby
An astrologer influencer who believed the solar eclipse was “the epitome spiritual warfare” stabbed her husband and pushed her children out of a moving car. Warning: Graphic
A US astrology influencer worried about the recent solar eclipse stabbed her partner to death, then pushed her two children out of her moving car before fatally slamming the vehicle into a tree.
Danielle Johnson, who peddled weekly “aura cleanses” on her website and offered online zodiac readings, told followers that Monday’s total solar eclipse in North America was “the epitome of spiritual warfare.”
“Get your protection on and your heart in the right place,” she wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on April 4 under her online pseudonym Danielle Ayoka.
“The world is very obviously changing right now and if you ever needed to pick a side, the time to do right in your life is now.”
Early Monday morning, she knifed her Air Force veteran partner dead, before taking off in a Porsche Cayenne with her two daughters, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Hurtling down the major 405 freeway before dawn, Johnson shoved the children – one nine years old, the other only eight months – out of the moving vehicle.
Only the nine-year-old child survived.
Half an hour later police were called to the scene of a horrific crash on the Pacific Coast Highway in which the luxury vehicle had slammed into a tree at 169km/h.
Johnson’s body had been so disfigured in the crash that identification was difficult, the Times reported.
Police who went to the family apartment found a trail of bloody footprints and the body of 29-year-old Jaelen Allen Chaney. He had been stabbed in the heart.
While eclipses have long been connected to end-of-times prophecies dating back to pre-history, scientists say there is no basis in fact for the conspiracies.
‘FREAKING NUTS’: ECLIPSE MANIA GRIPS NORTH AMERICA
Eclipse mania gripped North America as a breathtaking celestial event offered a rare convergence of commercial and scientific opportunities — and an excuse to party.
The maximum extent of the moon’s shadow across the sun began on Mexico’s Pacific coast at 11.07am Monday local time (4am AEST), then sped northeast across a 15-state expanse of the United States and on to Canada, exiting the continent over Newfoundland just under an hour-and-a-half later.
Former president Donald Trump, who notoriously gazed directly at the sun during the 2017 eclipse, attempted to capitalise on the phenomenon by releasing a new campaign ad featuring his larger-than-life head blocking out the sun.
Health professionals stressed not to follow his example, urging people to use certified eclipse glasses to prevent potentially permanent retinal injury.
Only those within the path of totality could remove their eye protection and admire the corona peeking out from behind the silhouette of the moon for a few precious moments.
Festivals, viewing parties, and even mass weddings were planned along the eclipse “path of totality,” where the moon is completely obscuring the sun’s light for up to a few minutes — weather permitting.
Some cloud cover was forecast over Texas and northeastern US states.
“A total solar eclipse is one of the most emotional events one can experience,” Jane Rigby, the senior project scientist for the Webb space telescope, posted.
“Feel your feels. You’re a part of the universe.”
This year’s path of totality was 185km wide and home to nearly 32 million Americans, with an additional 150 million living less than 200 miles from the strip.
Those further away could still enjoy a partial eclipse, or follow a webcast provided by NASA.
The next total solar eclipse that can be seen from a large part of North America won’t come around until 2044.
At the Stonehenge II park in Ingram, Texas, eclipse watchers gathered from across the world.
“Even if it’s cloudy it’s going to get unbelievably dark, especially with clouds,” said Jeff Snyder, a 68-year-old engineer who travelled from California along with his wife and had brought his own telescope.
“Everybody’s gonna go freaking nuts and you will hear screams.”
Businesses capitalised on the excitement with special events, while hotels and short-term rentals in prime viewing locations have been booked solid for months.
In Cleveland, where local officials expected some 200,000 visitors, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame plans a four-day “Solarfest” of live music.
And in Russellville, Arkansas, more than 300 couples were reportedly set to exchange vows at “A Total Eclipse of the Heart” mass wedding ceremony with the “thin circle of light around the moon resembling a huge wedding ring in the sky!” the event’s website boasts.
Delta airlines planned two special flights along the path, while many schools in the zone are shutting for the day.
Research firm Perryman Group estimates direct and indirect economic impacts of this year’s eclipse could reach $6 billion (A$9bn).
NASA planned to launch a trio of sounding rockets before, during and just after the eclipse to measure changes caused by the sudden darkness to the ionosphere, an upper layer of the atmosphere important for long-distance radio communication.
The eclipse also offered a golden opportunity to study the Sun’s corona, the outer layer of its atmosphere which is normally hidden by the blinding light of the surface.
Startling animal behaviour has been noted during past eclipses: giraffes have been seen galloping, while roosters and crickets can start crowing and chirping.
NASA invited the public to contribute to research through its citizen-science project Eclipse Soundscapes, by recording the sounds of nature.
In humans, eclipses trigger feelings of awe as we confront our own tiny place within the vast cosmic order, research has revealed.
Individuals exhibit more “prosocial” feelings towards each other in the aftermath of the shared experience.
Originally published as US astrology influencer who called solar eclipse ‘the epitome spiritual warfare’ killed partner, baby
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