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Daniel Proffitt, 48, of Oxford, was found guilty but mentally ill in July 2021 on charges of murder and strangulation for his role in the 2018 killing of 64-year-old Anna Johnson, Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said.
Johnson was found strangled to death by local and state police who were called to a Brick Road home in East Nottingham Township on Dec. 29, 2018, authorities said.
When they arrived, Proffitt, was outside the home and claimed that Johson had attacked him with a butcher knife, so he killed her in self-defense.
Officers later discovered that the pair had multiple arguments, which made Johnson fearful of Proffitt, and she even told a friend about it in a text message before her death.
The message reads," If something happens to me, Danny Profitt did it." She was killed hours later.
On the day of the murder, the two had argued, which led to Proffitt leaving the house, prosecutors said. When he returned, Proffitt broke into the bathroom while she was undressed and getting ready for a bath, they said.
That's when Proffitt grabbed Johnson's throat and strangled her to death, according to authorities.
"Anna Johnson feared for her life, something she unwittingly warned a friend about shortly before she was murdered," DA Deb Ryan said.
"Last year a jury held the defendant accountable for his brutal crime, and now with this sentence, he will never live a free life again. Anna Johnson’s family and friends finally have justice.”
Chief Deputy District Attorney Michelle Frei prosecuted the case.
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