Hessmer native tells wife's tale of terror, trauma and triumph

Ellen Crawford Johnson.
It's not a name that is familiar to many, but her courage and efforts are responsible for convicting many criminals and gaining justice for their victims.

Ellen and her husband Don moved to Hessmer after she was abducted, raped and stabbed multiple times before she courageously jumped from a moving vehicle in Lafayette in 2001. Their hope was to enjoy a quiet, peaceful life away from the area where her nightmare occurred.

That's what they did for 17 years.

When Ellen died of cancer in 2018, Johnson moved to St. Amant and decided to write her story not only to honor her memory and her fight to require authorities to take DNA samples of those arrested for crimes, but also in hopes that potential victims would learn "the importance of being aware of one's surroundings at any age and stage in life."

He wrote "Who's Watching You?" in 2019. It was published last fall.

"I was born and raised in Hessmer," Don said. "When this happened to Ellen, we knew that's where we needed to be. Ellen had to go on disability so I retired to take care of her. I had land in the area, so we cleared the land, bought an old house, moved it and remodeled it and lived there until she died."

Don said he still comes back to visit his brother, Ronald, and other friends and family in the parish.

"No matter where you go, you always miss home," Don said. "It pulls you back."

He said he met Ellen in 1990.

"She was from Tennessee, a former 1st runner-up in the Miss Tennessee pageant," Don recalled. "She was very pretty on the outside, but an even more beautiful person on the inside."

Don said the year he spent writing the book was emotionally draining "because I had to relive it." However, he said it will be worth that personal pain if it can help save even one person from going through the personal hell that Ellen had to endure.

"I want readers to learn who Ellen was and witness her determination, bravery and strength as she fought back against her attacker, faced him in court and offered her testimony in support of criminal DNA testing," Don said. "Her efforts played a pivotal role in making DNA collection from arrestees a statewide practice in Louisiana.

"Above all else, I want all women of any age to be aware of where you are and to know that someone is always watching you -- and you don't know for what reason."

ABOUT THE CASE

Ellen's attacker, Wesley Jones, had just been released from prison two weeks prior on the state's new 'good time law." There were DNA samples in the Johnson's truck and in a rape kit, but there was no data bank of DNA samples that could have provided a quick identification and arrest.

He was captured shortly after the attack based on Ellen's identification of him from mugshots. A law enforcement officer spotted him driving the stolen truck and pursued him. After Jones ditched the truck and fled to a house, officers were able to track him with dogs and found him hiding in the home's attic.

DNA samples taken after his arrest proved his guilt.

After her case gained notoriety, and due to her efforts to have laws adopted to require the taking of DNA samples upon any arrest, the use of DNA in Louisiana cases expanded considerably.

Since then, DNA samples on file in this state and others have brought numerous criminals to justice.

"He was sentenced to life in prison plus 40 years," Don said.

There are several elements of Ellen's case that cause one to say, "If only."

It was a sunny March day in a busy parking lot of Walmart in Lafayette. Ellen was putting her groceries into her truck when she was attacked and abducted in her truck. She was not aware of the danger and nobody saw the incident.

If only she, or a few others in the parking lot, had been more alert to the possible threat.

Jones had been released early for assaulting another woman, based on the state's "good time law" in effect at the time. If only he had been required to serve his full sentence. Don and Ellen campaigned for changes to the "good time" law.

There were security cameras operating in the parking lot, but nobody was monitoring the cameras. When the surveillance video was viewed later, the assailant smiled and waved to the camera as he drove away with his victim in the truck.

If only someone in the Walmart security office had been watching those monitors, the attack could have been thwarted in its early stages.

"We took Walmart to court over that," Don said. "The decision was that it is up to the store owner whether they assign someone to watch those cameras. Otherwise, they are for video surveillance purposes only. This guy knew where the cameras were -- he waved as he drove by them -- and he also knew there was nobody watching.

"These cameras give people a false sense of security," he added.

ELLEN'S LIFE

Ellen died when she was 69 in St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, but her life really ended when she was 52 on a sunny day in a Lafayette Walmart parking lot.

Ellen was hospitalized for three months recovering from her wounds and injuries, but the long-term effects of the trauma remained with her for the rest of her life, affecting even minor daily routines of life.

"She never drove after that," Don said. "She wouldn't go shopping alone. She would not go anywhere unless I was with her. She was never the same person after this happened to her. It destroyed her life.

"We determined together to do all we could to make sure this didn't happen to someone else," he added.

Some might see the debilitating effect the trauma had on Ellen as a sign of weakness, of being beaten.

Don said nothing could be further from the truth. His wife was one of the strongest women he's known.

"Ellen fought to survive, exhibiting a fierce courage that not only saved her life and convicted her attacker but also helped ensure justice for other victims," Don said. "This book is the story of a woman's strength to overcome the evil of the world through her strong belief in God."

Don said Ellen's spiritual strength was on display in her final hours.

"That day in St. Frances Cabrini Hospital was both the darkest and brightest day of my life," Don said. "As I was holding her hand, she told me that she knew Jesus was coming for her and that she was ready to go.

"It gives me encouragement for when my time comes."